^ 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA 
AT  LOS  AMGELES 

BROWSING  ROOM 


li"brary 
•aHuate  School  of  Business  Administratiaw 
Uni    -'r-sity  of  Cp.lifornia 
Los  Angeles  24,   California 


Digitized  by  tlie  Internet  Arcliive 

in  2007  witli  funding  from 

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littp://www.arcliive.org/details/artofletterwritiOOfowliala 


THE  ART  OF  LETTER  WRITING 


Books  by  Nathaniel  C.  Fowler,  Jr. 

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THE  ART  OF 
LETTER  WRITING 


A  PRACTICAL  MANUAL  COVER- 
ING THE  WHOLE  FIELD  OF 
CORRESPONDENCE 


BY 

NATHANIEL   C.    FOWLER,    Jr. 

AUTHOR    OF    "how    TO    SAVE    MONET,"    "HOW    TO 
OBTAIN   CITIZENSHIP,"     "PRACTICAL   SALESMANSHIP,"     ETC. 


NEW  YORK 
GEORGE  SULLY  &  COMPANY 


Copyright,  191S 
Bt  Sully  and  Kleinteich 

AU  rights  reserved 


niMTKD   IM    U.    S.   A. 


Bu8.  Admin. 
LibrAry 


HF 

5726 


PREFACE 

Letter  writing  is  one  of  the  basic  arts  of 
civilization.  Without  the  letter,  and  the  mail 
to  carry  it,  the  world  would  return  to  the  epoch 
of  the  prehistoric. 

It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  or  to  exag- 
gerate the  importance  of  the  letter  and  the 
writing  of  a  letter.  The  letter  plays  a  second 
part  only  to  conversation  and  to  personal  con- 
tact. 

Because  of  the  letter  no  one  can  remain  a 
stranger,  and  to  the  letter  writer  no  part  of  the 
civilized  world  is  inaccessible. 

The  letter  connects  persons,  and  is  the  vehicle 
of  the  progress  of  business. 

While  neither  the  writer  of  this  book,  nor  any 
one  else,  can  teach  by  printed  page,  or  orally, 
the  great  science  or  art  of  letter  writing,  the 
writer  hopes  that  the  contents  of  this  book  will 
be  of  at  least  indirect  assistance  to  every  one 
who  uses  the  mails,  and  '^  every  one  "  includes 
the  whole  world,  with  the  exception  of  those 
inhabitants  of  it  who  are  silfEciently  illiterate 
to  be  unable  to  express  themselves  upon  paper. 


175(J80 


/ 


CONTENTS 

PAQB 

The  importance  of  a  letter 9 

The  opening  of  a  letter;  the  name  of  the  person 

addressed;    illustrated 14 

How  to  address  an  individual ;  illustrated    .       .  20 

Titles  and  degrees  in  common  use      ...  23 

The  ending  of  a  letter;    illustrated      ...  25 

How  to  sign  letters;  illustrated  ....  27 
"  Dear  Sir,"  "  Gentlemea,"  "  Dear  Mr.  Smith," 

etc.;    illustrated 30 

Letters  to  officials;    illustrated      ....  32 

Proper  envelopes 36 

Letter  paper  and  envelope  material     ...  40 

Transparent  envelopes 43 

Letter-heads;    illustrated 44 

Names  and  addresses  on  envelopes;    illustrated  57 

Addressing  an  envelope;    illustrated     ...  63 

Care  in  addressing;    illustrated     ....  66 

Stamping  envelopes 68 

Sufficient  postage 69 

Enclosing  stamp  for  reply 70 

The  space  between  the  lines  of  a  letter     .       .  71 

Business  letters 73 

Social  letters 74 

Circular  or  dupUcate  letters;    illustrated    .       .  75 

Follow-up  letters;    illustrated         ....  81 

Letters  of  sohcitation;  illustrated  .       .       .       .  83 

Ordering  goods;    illustrated 90 

Enclosures  with  letters;   illustrated      ...  92 

Sending  money  by  maU 97 


viii  Contents 

Acknowledging  the  receipt  of  money;    illustrated  98 

Letters  to  foreign  countries 99 

Copying  letters         .       .       .    "^  .       .       .  101 

Letters  of  application  for  a  position;  illustrated  103 

Letters  of  introduction;    illustrated      .       .  131 

Letters  to  friends             .       .       .       .       .       .  134 

Humorous  letters 13G 

Letters  of  commendation  and  congratulation     .  138 

Letters  of  condolence 140 

Letters  of  proposal 142 

Paragrapliing 145 

Capitalization 147 

Abbreviations 149 

The  use  of  figures 150 

Punctuation        ........  151 

Repetition  of  words 154 

The  use  of  foreign  languages        .       .       .       .155 

The  use  of  long  words 156 

Obsolete  words '       .       .       .  157 

The  writing  of  technics  and  scientific  terms     .  158 

Simplicity 159 

Enclosing  poetry  in  a  letter 161 

Phoiwtic  spelling 163 

Interlining 164 

Plainness  and  correctness 165 

The  use  of  the  typewriter 167 

Handwriting 169 

The  post  office 171 

Foreign  mail  matter 174 

Parcel  post 176 

Registered  letters 178 

Money  orders 179 

TJmnailable  matter 180 

Care  in  mailing 181 


THE  ART  OF  LETTER 
WRITING 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  A  LETTER 

A  LETTER  is  talk  upon  paper;  but  it  is  not 
as  easy  to  write  as  it  is  to  tell  your  story  in 
spoken  words,  because  when  you  talk,  your  au' 
dience  is  before  you,  and  you  can  better  adapt 
your  words  to  the  receiver  who  is  present,  than 
to  one  who  is  absent.  If  what  you  say  when 
you  talk  is  not  right,  and  does  not  have  the 
desired  effect,  you  aro  likely  to  have  opportu- 
nity to  explain.  What  you  say  in  a  letter,  how- 
ever, must  stand  as  it  is,  and  is  not  subject  to 
immediate  correction  or  change.  Therefore, 
the  letter  must  be  prepared  with  more  care,  and 
with  more  attention  to  detail,  than  is  necessary 
for  the  spoken  word. 

It  has  been  said,  and  with  much  truth,  that 
nobody  can  write  a  letter,  or  any  document, 
which  is  guaranteed  to  be  fully  and  correctly 
understood  by  its  receiver.     Take  a  will,  for 


10       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

example.  No  reputable  lawyer,  even  though  an 
expert  at  will  drafting,  will  guarantee  to  pro- 
duce a  will  which  will  meet  all  requirements  and 
stand  the  test  of  the  court.  It  is  said  that  the 
best  maker  of  wills  in  America  did  not  write 
his  own  will  so  that  it  would  hold,  and  that  it 
was  set  aside  by  the  court. 

This  being  the  case,  it  is  obvious  that  no  one 
can  be  sure  of  a  letter,  however  carefully  he  may 
frame  it,  and  though  he  give  to  it  the  nicest 
attention. 

The  letter  writer,  therefore,  must  do  his  best, 
for  the  more  care  he  gives  to  his  letter,  the 
greater  likelihood  there  is  of  its  being  properly 
interpreted  by  its  receiver. 

Perfection  is  impossible,  but  there  is  a  vast 
difference  between  a  carelessly  thrown-together 
letter,  and  one  which  is  intelligently  written. 

A  large  part  of  the  business  of  the  world  is 
conducted  by  correspondence;  and  no  one,  save 
the  illiterate,  can  maintain  his  position  without 
the  writing  of  social  letters. 

While  I  have  attempted  to  present  rules  for 
letter  writing,  I  must  admit  that  outside  of 
fundamental  principles  it  is  impossible  to  in- 
struct any  one  so  that  he  may  become,  by  these 
instructions  alone,  an  acceptable  letter  writer. 

Individual  judgment  and  common  sense  play 
important  parts  upon  the  stage  of  letter  writing. 
One  may  be  helped  by  suggestions,  and  even  by 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        ii 

rules;  but  instruction  alone  is  not  sufficient 
He  must  put  himself  into  his  letters.  Pro- 
ficiency exists  only  when  one  realizes  their  im- 
portance, and  lets  each  experience  aid  him  in 
producing  better  results. 

I  am  opposed  to  the  presentation  of  more 
than  a  few  forms  of  the  body  of  a  letter,  be- 
cause such  arbitrary  examples  would  be  of 
little  use  to  the  proficient  letter  writer ;  and  the 
indifferent  one,  using  them,  would  make  his 
letters  stinted  and  hard.  One  should,  then, 
become  familiar  with  suitable  forms,  and  should 
adapt  them  to  his  conditions,  but  should  not 
copy  verbatim  the  style  or  wording  of  any 
writer. 

Letters  should  be  written  personally,  not  be 
machine-made,  and  they  should  represent  the 
sender. 

First,  attempt  to  comprehend  clearly  what 
you  want  to  say,  and  then  write  it  out,  being 
sure  that  the  matter  is  perfectly  clear  to  you,  at 
least.  Then  if  the  letter  is  too  long,  attempt  to 
shorten  it  without  removing  anything  essential 
from  it,'  and  rewrite  it  until  you  feel  that  it 
presents  your  case  fairly  well. 

I  would,  most  emphatically,  advise  letter 
writers  to  study  carefully  the  letters  received  by 
them,  and  to  remember  the  portions  which  es- 
pecially appeal  to  them.  We  are  very  much 
alike,  and  it  is,  therefore,  obvious  that  a  letter 


12        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

which  appeals  to  us,  would  impress  another,  pro- 
viding that  it  is  plain,  clear,  and  distinct  Most 
people,  and  business  men  particularly,  object  to 
ornate  rhetoric  and  to  floweiy  expressions. 

When  writing  a  business  letter,  for  instance, 
tell  the  receiver  only  what  you  feel  that  he 
wants  to  know,  or  will  accept,  —  not  necessarily 
all  that  you  want  him  to  know,  or  all  that  you 
want  him  to  accept.  He  will  stand  just  so 
much,  and  no  more.  Give  him  what  he  will 
take.  There  is  no  rule  which  will  cover  this. 
Here  is  where  your  judgment  and  common 
sense  come  into  play.  Experience,  if  you  recog- 
nize it  as  a  teacher,  will  do  more  for  you  than 
all  of  the  rules  and  regulations  and  all  of  the 
books  in  Christendom. 

The  best  I  can  do  for  you  is  to  present  funda- 
mental principles  of  letter  writing,  suggest 
forms  and  styles  to  be  avoided,  and  leave  the 
rest  to  you. 

I  am  not  one  of  those  who  believe  that  every- 
thing, particularly  the  action  of  personality, 
can  be  taught  as  can  academic  science. 

If  your  business  letters  do  not  bring  returns, 
change  them  somewhat,  or  entirely.  Study  the 
letters  of  others,  as  you  would  your  own  stock 
in  trade  and  your  own  methods  of  doing  busi- 
ness ;  but  do  not  accept  any  form  in  its  entirety. 
Adapt  the  success  of  others,  making  those 
changes  which  are  necessary  for  your  particular 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       13 

business.  Always  get  down  to  rock,  bottom. 
Do  not  indulge  in  long  introductions  or  ex- 
planations. 

A  business  letter  should  be  a  statement  of 
facts,  or  a  plain,  clean-cut,  request  or  solicita- 
tion, expressed  briefly,  and  yet  comprehensively, 
within  the  understanding  of  its  receiver. 

Never  put  into  your  letter,  unless  it  is  one 
of  collection,  a  demand;  and  never  unquali- 
fiedly tell  the  receiver  what  he  should  do.  Pre- 
sent to  him  facts  which  you  believe  are  to  his 
interest.  Avoid  all  reference  to  competitors,  ex- 
cept in  a  very  general  way,  and  never  say  any- 
thing against  the  goods  made  by  another  house. 
Criticism  of  your  competitors,  and  an  attempt 
to  belittle  the  value  of  their  products,  advertise 
the  competitors  more  than  they  injure  them. 

What  you  have,  not  what  others  have,  is  your 
business.  Present  your  own  goods,  and  let 
other  goods  alone. 


THE   OPENING    OF   A   LETTER 

If  you  are  answering  a  letter,  always  start 
in  with  some  expression  like,  "  Your  favor  of 
the  15th  inst.  received,"  or,  "  Yours  of  the 
15th  inst.  received,"  or,  "  Your  letter  of  the 
15th  inst.  received."  This  is  very  important, 
because  the  receiver  is  made  at  once  to  realize 
that  your  letter  is  in  reply  to  his,  and,  there- 
fore, merits  immediate  attention. 

Under  no  circumstances,  either  in  a  business 
or  social  letter,  begin  by  saying,  "  I  take  my 
pen  in  hand."  This  reminds  me  of  a  humorous 
incident,  which  was  all  right  between  friends, 
as  it  was  sure  to  be  understood  as  a  joke.  The 
writer  wrote  as  follows :  "  Having  nothing  to  do, 
I  take  my  pen  in  hand.  Having  nothing  to  say, 
I  close."^ 

There  is  no  objection  to  beginning  a  letter 
with  some  expression  like  "  I  take  the  liberty,'* 
etc.,  providing  that  you  are  asking  a  favor,  or 
addressing  a  stranger  other  than  upon  the  busi- 
ness in  which  he  is  interested. 

Every  effort  should  be  made  in  the  opening 
of  a  letter  to  state  something  which  will  create 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        15 

immediate  interest  or  attention  on  the  part  of 
the  receiver.  To  use  an  expression  of  the  street, 
"  Don't  beat  'round  the  bush."  Get  down  to 
business,  or  get  to  your  subject,  at  the  start, 
without  any  preamble  or  lengthy  introduction. 
If  possible,  refer  to  something  which  is  of  in- 
terest to  the  receiver.  For  example:  if  you 
are  applying  for  a  position,  start  in  with  some 
expression  like,  "  I  know  how  to  sell  groceries  ^ 
on  the  road,  because  I  have  successfully  sold 
them.  What  I  have  done  for  others,  I  can  do 
for  you." 

If  you  enclose  a  letter  of  introduction,  begin 
your  letter  something  as  follows :  "  Enclosed 
find  letter  of  introduction  from  our  mutual 
friend,  Mr.  John  W.  Smith ;  "  or,  "  I  enclose 
letter  of  introduction  from  Mr.  John  W.  Smith, 
President  of  the  Smith  Manufacturing  Co." 
This  immediately  attracts  the  reader's  atten- 
tion, and  shows  that  you  have  a  social  right  to 
address  him. 

If  you  have  already  had  a  conversation  with 
the  person  addressed,  or  if  you  write  the  letter 
because  you  have  met  him,  then  begin  some- 
what as  follows :  "  Referring  to  our  conversa- 
tion of  last  Tuesday ;  "  or,  "  You  will  recall 
our  conversation  in  the  smoking  compartment 
of  a  Chicago  train,  last  month ;  "  or,  "  Re- 
ferring to  our  conversation  at  the  Union  Club." 
This  immediately  locates  you  and  properly  in- 


16       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

troduces    the    subject    upon    which    you    are 
writing. 

Business  Iptters  should  begin  about  as  follows : 

Boston,  Mass.,  Jan.  2,  1913. 
Mr.  John  T.  Smith, 

New  York  City, 
Dear  Sir: 

The  title  "  Messrs."  is  used  only  when  the 
firm  name  is  made  up  of  individual  names.  It 
may  be  used  when  the  words  "  and  Company  " 
are  added  to  these,  as  in  "  Messrs.  Anderson, 
Farlow  and  Company,"  but  is  preferably 
omitted  when  a  firm  name  like  "  The  Smith- 
Hall  Company,"  or  "  The  Mason  and  Hudson 
Company,"  is  given. 

Firms  may  be  addressed  as  follows: 

Boston,  Mass.,  Jan.  2,  1913. 
Messrs.  Smith,  Jones  &  Co., 

Boston,  Mass., 
Gentlemen:  (or  Dear  Sirs:) 

The  title  "  Messrs."  may  be  omitted. 
Corporations  should  be  addressed  as  follows: 

Boston,  Mass.,  Jan.  2,  1913. 
Smith  Manufacturing  Co., 

Portland,  Maine, 
Gentlemen:  (or  Dear  Sirs:) 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        17 

Some  letter  writers  invariably  place  the  ad- 
dress of  the  party  written  to  after  his  name,  as 
follows : 

Mr.  John  W.  Smith, 
308  Bedford  St., 
Boston,  Mass., 
Dear  Sir: 

There  is  no  objection  to  adding  the  street 
address,  except  that  it  takes  up  room  and  time. 
If  you  do  not  keep  an  address  file  or  card  index, 
but  depend  upon  the  copies  of  your  letters  for 
your  addresses,  each  address  sliould  be  invari- 
ably written  in. 

Many  writers  prefer  to  address  an  individual, 
if  he  occupies  a  responsible  position,  like  that 
of  General  Manager,  President,  Treasurer,  or 
Secretary,  and  use  the  following  form : 

Mr.  John  W.  Smith,  General  Manager, 
Smith  Manufacturing  Co., 
Boston,  Mass., 
Dear  Sir: 


The  name  and  address  may  be  written  at  the 
close  of  the  letter,  and  the  date  also ;  but  it  is 
better  to  place  them  all  at  the  beginning  of  a 
letter. 


iS       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Of  course,  "  Dear  Sir,"  "  Gentlemen,"  or 
"  Dear  Mr.  Smith,"  or  "  My  dear  Mr.  Smith," 
or  "  Dear  Mary,"  or  "  My  dear  Mary,"  or 
''  Dear  John,"  or  "  My  dear  John,"  should 
precede  the  body  of  the  letter  in  every  case. 

I  present  the  following  forms  of  letters  where 
ihe  full  name  and  address  are  written  at  the 
close : 

Boston,  Mass.,  Jan.  8,  1913. 
Dear  Sir: 

(Body  of  letter.) 
To  Mr.  William"  K.  White, 
406  Main  Street, 

Portland,  Maine. 

If  the  date  is  not  written  at  the  opening  of 
the  letter,  it  should  appear  either  above  or  be- 
low, preferably  below,  the  name  and  address  at 
the  close  of  the  letter. 

Another  form  is  presented : 

Dear  Mr.  Smith: 

(Body  of  letter.) 
To  Mr.  William  W.  Smith, 
76  Whitehall  Avenue, 
Omaha,  Neb. 
Jan.  7,  1913. 

Some  letter  writers  prefer  to  have  the  address 
lines,  including  the  line  reading  "  Dear  Sir " 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       19 

or  "  Gentlemen,"  justify  at  the  left,  as  in  the 
following  example.  There  is  no  real  objection 
to  this,  but  the  usual  form  of  indenting  the 
address  line  or  lines  is  to  be  preferred. 

Mr.  John  T.  Smith, 
406  Main  Street, 
Portland,  Maine, 
Dear  Sir: 


HOW   TO   ADDRESS  AN   INDIVIDUAL 

In  addressing  an  individual,  it  is  well  to  find 
out  whether  or  not  he  has  some  military  or  other 
title.  If  he  has,  do  not  fail  to  use  it.  Military 
men,  as  a  rule,  are  proud  of  their  positions, 
even  if  unimportant,  and  resent  beinj;  addressed 
as  "  Mr."  or  "  Esq."  The  same  may  be  said  of 
those  who,  by  virtue  of  office,  are  entitled  to  the 
title  "  Honorable." 

!N^ever  address  a  person  without  prefixing  to 
his  name  "  Mr."  qt  other  title,  or  following  his 
name  with  "  Esq.,"  or  with  a  proper  degree. 
"  Mr."  is  preferable  to  "  Esq." 

The  following  correct  forms  are  presented: 

Mr.  John  W.  Blank. 

John  W.  Blank,  Esq. 

Dr.  John  W.  Blank. 

John  W.  Blank,  M.  D. 

Colonel  John  W.  Blank. 

Col.  John  W.  Blank. 

Rev.  John  W.  Blank,  D.  D. 

John  W.  Blank,  D.  D. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       21 

Rev.  John  W.  Blank. 

Professor  Jolm  W.  Blank. 

John  W.  Blank,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

If  the  party  addressed  is  entitled  to  the  title 
of  "  Honorable,"  always  address  him,  "  Hon. 
John  W.  Blank." 

Doctors,  as  a  rule,  prefer  to  have  their  de- 
gree, "  M.  D.,"  used,  but  "  Dr."  is  permissible. 
Xever  address  a  doctor  "  Dr.  John  W.  Blank, 
M.  D.,"  but  as  "Dr.  John  W.  Blank,"  or 
"  John  W.  Blank,  M.  D." 

Doctors  of  Divinity  may  be  addressed  in 
either  of  the  following  ways: 

Rev.  John  W.  Blank,  D.  D. 

John  W.  Blank,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Dr.  John  W.  Blank. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  spell  out  the  words 
"  Reverend  "  and  "  Doctor."  The  abbrevia- 
tions (Rev.  and  Dr.)  are  in  good  taste. 

Persons  holding  the  degrees  of  Ph.  D., 
LL.  D.,  Litt.  D.,  etc.,  may  be  addressed  as 
"  Dr.,"  and  should  be  so  addressed  unless  you 
follow  their  name  with  the  degree.  Do  not  use 
both  "  Dr."  and  the  degree  or  degrees.  Do  not 
write,  "  Dr.  John  W.  Smith,  Ph.  D." 

When  "  Reverend  "  is  spelled  out,  it  is  most 
correct  to  precede  it  with  the  article ;  as  "  The 
Reverend,"  etc. 

Military  titles,  such  as  Colonel,  General,  and 
Captain,  may  be  abbreviated  Col.,  Gen.,  and 


22        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Capt,  but  I  would  recommend  the  spelling  out 
of  the  words. 

The  degree  of  Bachelor  (B.)  in  any  line  is 
not  usually  written,  because  every  college  gradu- 
ate possesses  it.  The  Master  (M.)  and  Doctor 
(D.)  degrees,  however,  should  be  used  as  a 
matter  of  courtesy,  for  they  are  hard-earned 
titles,  or  else  honorary  because  of  distinguished 
service. 

If  one  holds  the  title  of  Lieutenant  Colonel, 
for  example,  he  should  be  addressed  as 
"  Colonel "  or  "  Col." 


TITLES   AND   DEGREES   IN   COMMON 
USE 

The  meaning  of  the  titles  and  degrees  in 
common  use  is  as  follows: 

A.  B.  or  B.  A.,  Bachelor  of  Arts. 

A.  M.  or  M.  A.,  Master  of  Arts. 

B.  Agr.,  Bachelor  of  Agriculture. 
B.  D.,  Bachelor  of  Divinity. 

B.  L.,  Bachelor  of  Laws. 
B.  M.,  or  B.  Miis.,  Bachelor  of  Music 
B.  Pd.,  Bachelor  of  Pedagogy. 
B.  Ph.,  Bachelor  of  Philosophy. 
B.  S.,  Bachelor  of  Surgery. 
B.  S.,  or  B.  Sc,  Bachelor  of  Science. 
D.  C.  L.,  Doctor  of  Canon  Law. 
D.  D.,  Doctor  of  Divinity. 
D.  D.  S.  or  D.  M.  D.,  Doctor  of  Dental  Sur- 
gery. 

D.  Litt.,  Doctor  of  Literature. 
D.  M.  or  D.  Mus.,  Doctor  of  Music. 
D.  Ph.,  Doctor  of  Philosophy. 
D.  Sc,  Doctor  of  Science. 

D.  V.  S.,  Doctor  of  Veterinary  Surgery. 

E.  E.,  Electrical  Engineer. 


34        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

E.  D.,  Doctor  of  Electricity. 

J.  C.  D.,  Doctor  of  Civil  Law. 

J.  D.,  Doctor  of  Laws. 

J.  P.,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Jr.,  Junior. 

Litt  B.,  or  Lit.  B.,  Bachelor  of  Literature. 

Litt  D.,  or  Lit.  D.,  Doctor  of  Xiterature. 

LL.  B.,  Bachelor  of  Laws. 

LL.  D.,  Doctor  of  Laws. 

M.  Agr.,  Master. of  Agriculture. 

M.  C,  Member  of  Congresc. 

M.  D.,  Doctor,  of  Medicine. 

M.  P.,  Member  of  Parliament. 

M.  P.  C,  Member  of  Parliament  in  Canada. 

M.  S.,  Master  of  Science. 

Mus.  B.,  Bachelor  of  Music 

Mus.  D.,  Doctor  of  Music. 

Pd.  B.,  Bachelor  of  Pedagogy' 

Pd.  D.,  Doctor  of  Pedagogy. 

Ph.  B.,  Bachelor  of  Philosophy. 

Ph.  D.,  Doctor  of  Philosophy. 

P.  M.,  Postmaster. 

Rev.,  Reverend. 

S.  B.,  or  Sc.  B.,  Bachelor  of  Science. 

Sc.  D.,  Doctor  of  Science. 

S.  T.  B.,  Bachelor  of  Sacred  Theology. 

S.  T.  D.,  Doctor  of  Sacred  Theology. 

Rt.  Hooi.,  Right  Honorable. 

Rt  Rev.,  Right  Reverend. 

V.  Rer.,  Very  Reverend- 


THE   ENDING   OF   A   LETTER 

Peeceding  your  name,  at  the  close  of  a  let- 
ter, should  appear  in  a  paragraph  by  itself  some 
expression  like  "  Yours  truly,"  or  "  Yours  very 
truly,"  or  "  Very  truly  yours,"  or  "  Yours  re- 
spectfully," or  "  Respectfully  yours,"  or 
**  Yours  sincerely,"  or  "  Sincerely  yours,"  or 
"  Very  sincerely  yours,"  or  "  Yours  very  sin- 
cerely," or  "  Affectionately  yours,"  or  "  Yours 
affectionately." 

The  words  "  Respectfully  yours,"  or  "  Yours 
respectfully,"  should  be  given  preference  when 
writing  a  stranger,  although  "  Yours  truly,"  or 
"  Yours  very  truly,"  is  permissible. 

Expressions  like  "  Sincerely  yours,"  or 
"  Affectionately  yours,"  should  be  avoided,  un- 
less you  are  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
party  to  whom  you  are  writing.  It  is  unneces- 
sary, and  in  bad  taste,  to  close  a  letter  with, 
"  Hoping  to  receive  a  reply." 

There  is  no  objection  to  writing  "  I  am, 
Respectfully  yours,"  but  there  is  no  necessity 
of  using  "  I  am." 

If  you  are  writing  a  personal  friend,  you 


26        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

may  close  with  "  With  r^ards,  sincerely  yours," 
or  "  Affectionately  yours." 

Be  very  sure  to  write  your  name  legibly,  and 
do  not  sign  it  "  J.  T.  Smith ;  "  write  "  John  T. 
Smith." 

Do  not  spell  out  your  middle  name,  unless 
you  are  an  author  or  professional  man,  and 
your  name  in  full  appears  in  print.  Even  then, 
the  spelling  out  of  your  middle  name  is  ques- 
tionable and  suggests  affectation. 

When  addressing  one  who  does  not  know  you, 
it  is  well  to  write  out  your  name  and  address 
in  the  lower  left-hand  comer,  so  that  there  may 
be  no  confusion,  unless  your  name  is  printed 
upon  the  letterhead.  Even  the  plainest  hand- 
writing is  not  at  times  legible  to  the  receiver, 
particularly  if  the  name  is  not  a  common  one. 


HOW    TO    SIGN    LETTERS 

All  letters,  both  business  and  social,  should 
be  signed,  in  whole  or  in  part,  with  the  pen. 
The  use  of  the  indelible  pencil  is  not  to  be 
recommended,  nor  should  any  letter  be  signed 
in  full  on  the  typewriter. 

The  use  of  a  rubber  stamp  for  signatures  is 
objectionable,  as  it  indicates  that  the  writer 
does  not  consider  the  letter  of  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  warrant  the  trouble  and  time  required 
for  a  pen  signature.  There  is  no  objection, 
however,  to  the  use  of  a  typewriter  or  rubber 
stamp  for  the  name  of  the  firm  or  company, 
provided  the  name  of  an  officer  or  manager 
follows  it  in  ink.  For  example,  the  company  or 
firm  name  may  be  typewritten  or  stamped  as 
follows : 

The  Smith  Manufacturing  Company, 

By  (or  per)   John  T.  Smith, 
President. 

Or,  John  T.  Smith  &  Company, 

By  (or  per)  George  H.  Smith, 
Treasurer. 


28       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

The  name  of  the  official,  and  his  title, 
"President"  or  "Treasurer,"  should  be  writ- 
ten with  the  pen,  although  it  is  permissible  to 
typewrite  or  stamp  "  President "  or  "  Treas- 
urer." 

Many  business  firms  sign  their  letters  in 
either  of  the  following  ways: 

The  Smith  Manufacturing  Company, 
By  George  T.  Smith,  President, 
Per  Baxter. 

Or, 

The  Smith  Manufacturing  Company, 
By  George  T.  Smith,  President, 
Per  A.  W.  B. 

Upon  general  principles  it  is  well  to  avoid 
the  signing  of  letters  with  initials  preceded,  or 
not,  with  "  Per  "  or  "  By."  Nor  is  it  advisable 
to  write  "  Per  Baxter."  If  anything  is  to  fol- 
low "  Per  "  or  "  By,"  let  the  full  name  of  the 
signer  be  affixed,  to  be  followed  with  "  Man- 
ager," "  General  Manager,"  "  Secretary,"  etc. 

Not  to  do  this  indicates  to  the  receiver  that 
the  letter  is  not  of  sufficient  importance  to  be 
personally  signed  by  an  official. 

I  would  suggest  that,  if  the  official  has  not 
time  personally  to  sign  his  letters,  they  be  si^ed 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        29 

by  some  secretary  or  clerk  whose  handwriting 
is  similar  to  that  of  the.official,  except,  of  course, 
contracts,  or  letters  of  unusual  importance. 

Many  large  firms,  having  extensive  corre- 
spondence, print  upon  their  letters  with  a  rubber 
stamp  words  somewhat  like  the  following: 

"  This  letter  is  dictated,  but  not  read,  by  the 
President." 

I  consider  this  not  only  in  poor  business 
form,  but  in  very  bad  taste.  It  creates  a  sus- 
picion on  the  part  of  the  receiver  that  he  is  not 
of  sufficient  importance,  or  that  the  contents  of 
the  letter  amount  to  so  little,  that  an  official 
does  not  deem  it  necessary  even  to  read  it.  An 
opportunity  for  this  misconception  should  be 
strenuously  avoided. 

Many  business  houses  require  their  stenog- 
raphers to  write  the  initials  of  the  writer  and 
the  initials  of  the  stenographer  in  the  lower 
left-hand  corner  of  the  lettxBr.  This  has  a  value 
only  as  a  matter  of  record,  and  there  can  be  no 
real  objection  to  it. 

Social  letters  should  always  bear  the  signa- 
ture of  the  writer,  and  it  is  not  permissible  to 
sign  them  with  a  rubber  stamp  or  typewriter, 
or  to  have  "'  Per  A.  B.  C."  follow  the  signature. 


"  DEAR  SIR,"  "  GENTLEMEN,"  "  DEAR 
MR.  SMITH,"  ETC. 

All  business  letters,  unless  semi-social  or 
between  intimate  friends,  should  begin  with 
"Dear  Sir,"  "Dear  Sirs,"  or  "Gentlemen," 
one  of  these  salutations  to  follow  the  name  and 
address  of  the  party  to  whom  the  letter  is  ad- 
dressed. 

"  Dear  Sir  "  should  be  invariably  used  when 
addressing  a  stranger ;  but  "  Gentlemen  "  is 
preferable  to  "  Dear  Sirs,"  when  a  letter  is  sent 
to  a  firm  or  company. 

*'  My  dear  Sir "  is  permissible,  when  the 
parties  are  acquainted  though  the  letter  is 
formal,  and  may  be  used  by  one  professional 
man  writing  to  another  of  his  class. 

"  Sir  "  and  "  Dear,"  if  preceded  by  "  My," 
may  begin  with  either  a  capital  or  a  small 
letter. 

"My  dear  Mr.  Smith,"  or  "Dear  Mr. 
Smith,"  should  not  be  used  in  business,  except 
between  friends;  but  a  social  letter,  or  one  of 
professional  character  between  authors  or  others 
who  arc  not  in  businees,  may  b^n  "  My  dear 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       31 

Mr.  Smith  "  or  "  Dear  Mr.  Smith."  For  ex- 
ample, if  an  author,  or  other  professional  man, 
addresses  another  of  his  class  or  even  a  business 
man,  if  the  subject  of  the  letter  be  semi-busi- 
ness or  altogether  professional,  he  may  write 
"  Dear  Sir,"  or  "  My  dear  Sir,"  or  "  My  dear 
Mr.  Smith,"  or  "  Dear  Mr.  Smith."  But  busi- 
ness letters,  directed  to  business  men,  and  upon 
purely  business  subjects,  should  almost  invari- 
ably begin  with  "  Dear  Sir." 


LETTERS    TO    OFFICIALS 

Lettkes  addressed  to  the  President  of  the 
dnited  States,  officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy, 
Ambassadors,  and  Members  of  the  Diplomatic 
Corps,  unless  of  social  purport,  must  be  ex- 
tremely formal.  The  contents  of  the  letter 
should  be  as  brief  as  possible,  with  an  absence 
of  adjectives  and  with  no  flowery  expressions 
or  personal  compliments.  Abbreviations  should 
be  avoided.  !N^ever  address  a  letter  to  the 
"  Pres.  of  the  United  States,"  or  to  the  "  Sec'y 
of  War."  Spell  out  "  President  "  and  "  Sec- 
retary." 

Where  there  is  only  one  official,  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  address  him  by  his  name.  Simply  ad- 
dress the  letter 

To  His  Excellency, 

The  President  of  the  United  States, 

Executive  Mansion, 

Washin^on,  D.  C. 
Mr,  President,  Sir: 

Under  no  circumstances,  unless  you  are  a 
personal  friend,  address  him  as  "  Dear  Mr. 
President,"  or  "  My  dear  Mr.  President,"  and 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       33 

never  write  "  Dear  Sir "  or  "  Mj  dear  Sir." 
You  may  address  him  more  simply,  as 

To  the  President  of  the  United  States, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

Mr.  President,  Sir: 

The  form  used  for  the  President  of  the 
United  States  applies  to  the  Vice  President, 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  For 
example : 
To  the  Vice  President  of  the  United  States, 

Mr.  Vice  President,  Sir : 
To  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States, 

Mr.  Chief  Justice,  Sir : 
In  addressing  an  Associate  Justice,  this  form 
may  be  used: 

To  the  Honorable  John  Smith, 

Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

Mr.  Justice,  Sir: 

Judges   of   all   Courts   below   the    Supreme 
Court,  should  be  addressed  as  "  Honorable." 

The  Cabinet  Officers  may  be   addressed   as 
follows : 

To  the  Honorable  Secretary  of  State, 

Washington,  D.  C, 

Sir:  (or,  Dear  Sir:) 

A  member  of  ft  foreign  legation,  or  a  GoT' 


34        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

emor  of  a  State,  may  be  addressed  as  "  Your 
Excellency."  Members  of  State  Senates,  Lieu- 
tenant Governors,  and  Members  of  Congress, 
Mayors,  and  Judges  in  general,  should  be  ad- 
dressed as  "  Honorable."   ■ 

It  is  not  necessary  to  write  in  the  name  of 
the  Governor  or  Lieutenant  Governor;  simply 
address  it  to  "  His  Excellency,  The  Governor 
of  New  York,"  or  to  "  His  Honor,  The  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  of  New  York."  Write  "  Sir  " 
or  "  Dear  Sir,"  never  "  My  dear  Sir "  or 
"  Dear  Governor,"  unless  you  are  personally 
acquainted  with  him. 

Mayors,  as  a  rule,  should  be  addressed  as 
follows : 

The  Hon.  John  Smith, 

Mayor  of  New  York  City, 

Sir:  (or,  Your  Honor:) 

Officers  in  the  Army  and  Navy  should  be 
addressed : 
General  John  C.  Smith, 

Brigadier  General, 
United  States  Army, 
Washington,  D.  C, 
Sir: 

The  Commander  General  of  the  United 
States  should  be  addressed  as  follows: 

To  Major  General  John  T.  Smith, 

Commanding  Officer; 

or^  To  Major  General  John  T.  Smith, 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        35 

Commanding  the  Army  of  the  United  States ; 

Or,  To  Major  General  John  T.  Smith, 

Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Army  of  the 
United  States;    Or, 

To  the  General  in  Command  of  the  Army  of 
tJie  Unit-ed  States. 

In  the  Navy,  all  officers  below  the  rank  of 
Commander   are   addressed   as   "  Mr." 

Archbishops  should  be  addressed  "  Most 
Reverend  John  Smith;"  and  Roman  Catholics 
as  "  The  Most  Reverend."  Bishops  should  be 
addressed  "  Right  Reverend  "  and  "  Dear  Sir," 
except  that  a  Bishop  in  a  Methodist  church 
prefers  the  simple  title  of  "  Reverend." 

In  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  except  for 
the  Archbishops  and  Bishops,  it  is  in  good  taste 
to  say  "  Venerable  Father "  or  "  Venerable 
Sir."  Protestant  Ministers  should  be  formally 
addressed  "  Rev.  John  Smith,  D.  D.,  Dear  Dr. 
Smith."  If  a  clergyman  does  not  hold  the  de- 
gree of  "  D.  D.,"  he  may  be  addressed  "  Dear 
Sir." 

The  Pope  must  be  addressed  as  "  His  Holi- 
ness, The  Pope,"  or  "To  Our  Most  Holy 
Father,  Pope  Leo  the  XITI." 

The  correct  form  of  addressing  a  Cardinal  is 

"  His  Eminence,  Cardinal  ,"  or  "  To  His 

Eminence,  the  Most  Reverend  ." 

Jewish  Rabbis,  in  this  country,  as  a  rule,  are 
addressed  as  "  Reverend." 


PROPER   ENVELOPES 

Theke  are  two  sizes  of  regular  commercial 
envelopes  in  common  use.  One  is  6%  inches 
from  right  to  left  by  3%  inches  from  top  to 
bottom;  and  the  other  is  614  inches  from  right 
to  left  by  31/^  inches  from  top  to  bottom. 

Comparatively  few  business  houses  use,  for 
their  ordinary  correspondence,  envelopes  larger 
than  the  former,  or  smaller  than  the  latter. 
Sizes  of  material  difference  are  not  to  be  recom- 
mended. 

Social  envelopes  are  of  many  sizes,  some  of 
them  measuring  about  51/2  inches  from  right 
to  left  by  41/4  inches  from  top  to  bottom. 

Regular  commercial  sizes  are  in  good  taste 
for  social  correspondence;  but,  as  a  rule,  they 
should  be  made  of  a  higher  grade  of  paper, 
which  should  be  thicker  than  the  stock  used  for 
business  purposes. 

Thin  envelopes,  unless  made  of  bond  paper, 
should  not  be  used,  as  they  are  not  strong 
enough  to  go  through  the  mail. 

Envelopes  measuring  more  than  6%^  inches 
from  right  to  left,  and  more  than  3%  inches 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       37 

from  top  to  bottom,  are  not  likely  to  go  through 
the  mail  without  either  the  top  or  bottom  or  one 
of  the  sides  being  jammed  or  bent.  Conse- 
quently, a  social  envelope  not  measuring  more 
than  the  larger  size  of  the  commercial  envelopes 
I  have  mentioned,  is  to  be  recommended. 

This  folding  or  jamming  of  envelopes  in  the 
mail  is  due  to  the  method  of  handling  and  trans- 
mission. The  post-office  clerk  distributes  the 
envelopes  in  pigeonholes,  which  will  not  con- 
veniently hold  envelopes  of  dimensions  much 
larger  than  S^  inches  by  3%  inches.  If  the 
envelope  is  of  a  larger  size,  the  distributer  may 
not  put  it  in  the  pigeonhole,  because  it  will  not 
lie  flat.  He  is  apt  to  place  it  on  the  table,  and 
pick  it  up  after  the  pigeonhole  is  full,  or  the 
mail  is  distributed,  occasionally  causing  a  delay 
in  transmission. 

Mail  is  tied  up  in  bundles  of  suitable  size 
for  handling,  and  if  the  envelope  is  larger  than 
the  regular  size,  the  top,  bottom,  or  sides  will 
be  bent  over  in  the  tying,  and  the  letter  deliv- 
ered in  a  jammed  or  imperfect  condition. 

Envelopes  of  more  than  ordinary  size  are 
frequently  delayed  in  transmission,  because 
they  do  not  fit  into  the  regular  bundles,  and 
may  not  leave  the  post-ofiice  on  the  same  mail 
which  carries  those  of  regular  size. 

Experiments  made  by  the  writer  prove  that 
envelopes  of  ordinary  size  are  seldom  delayed 


175080 


38        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

in  the  mail,  while  those  of  oversize  not  infre- 
quently reach  the  receiver  on  a  subsequent  raaiL 
If  it  is  deairable  that  your  letter  be  delivered  at 
the  earliest  possible  moment,  use  an  envelope 
of  ordinary  size. 

Envelopes  smaller  than  5  by  3  inches  are 
not  to  be  recommended,  either  for  business 
or  social  correspondence.  They  may  be  lost, 
although  that  is  not  likely  to  occur;  but  they 
may  slip  out  of  the  packages,  and  their  delivery 
be  delayed.  They  are  very  annoying  to  dis- 
tributing clerks  and  letter  carriers,  and  both 
commercially  and  socially  I  consider  them  in 
bad  taste.  If  you  are  sending  out  birth  or 
other  cards,  which  require  a  small  envelope, 
better  enclose  the  small  envelope  or  card  in  an 
envelope  of  regular  size. 

While  envelopes  of  more  than  ordinary  size 
may  not  be  delayed  in  transmission,  mail  in 
sealed  envelopes  of  extraordinary  size,  like  those 
used  in  sending  out  catalogues,  is  very  apt  to 
be  placed  with  the  newspaper  or  package  mail, 
and  its  arrival  be  considerably  delayed.  Under 
the  law,  it  is  entitled  to  first-class  mail  privileges 
and  transmission,  but  as  distributing  clerks  are 
busy,  they  are  likely  to  consider  a  large  envelope 
as  unsealed,  even  though  it  be  sealed,  and  throw 
it  into  the  newspaper  bag. 

My  investigation  shows  that  a  good  propor- 
tion of  sealed  matter,  contained  in  very  large 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       39 

envelopes,  is  delaj^ed  at  least  one  delivery.  If 
you  cannot  enclose  first-class,  or  sealed,  matter, 
in  an  envelope  of  ordinary  size,  take  particular 
pains  to  ^ve  it  the  appearance  of  being  sealed, 
which  may  be  done  by  pasting  several  paper 
seals  over  the  flap,  or  by  the  use  of  sealing  wax. 
It  is  well  to  write  boldly  the  words  "  Sealed 
matter,"  or  "  Letter  enclosed,"  on  the  face  of 
the  envelope.  This  will  facilitate  its  early 
delivery. 

I  have  discussed  envelope  paper  in  the  chap- 
ter headed  "  Letter  Paper  and  Envelope  Mate- 
rial" 


LETTER  PAPER  AND  ENVELOPE 
MATERIAL 

The  letter  paper  and  the  envelope  should  be 
of  the  same  color  and  of  about  the  same  mate- 
rial, although  the  envelope  should  be  of  thicker 
paper  if  very  thin  letter  paper  is  used.  The 
stock  mav  vary  slightly,  if  there  is  no  conspicu- 
ous difference.  For  example,  bond  letter  paper 
may  be  enclosed  in  an  envelope  made  of  heavier 
stock,  which  is  not  bond,  provided  the  colors 
match. 

As  a  rule,  the  social  envelope  and  paper 
should  be  of  the  same  weight,  and,  of  course, 
alike  in  color  and  quality. 

There  is  no  fixed  rule  governing  the  color  of 
letter  paper  or  envelopes,  either  for  business  or 
social  correspondence;  but  white  for  commercial 
use,  and  white  or  cream  for  social  correspond- 
ence, are  always  in  good  taste. 

Many  business  houses  and  social  writers  pre- 
fer a  light  blue  or  yellow,  and  some  of  them  use 
pink  and  other  colors;  but  any  color,  except 
white,  light  blue,  light  yellow,  or  light  orange, 
should  not  be  used  commercially.     Deep,  dark 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       41 

colors  are  in  bad  form  for  social  correspondence, 
and  the  writing  upon  them  is  difficult  to  read. 
White,  cream,  pale  gray  or  tan,  or  light  blue, 
is  in  good  taste. 

Highly  colored  paper  should  not  be  used 
eitlier  in  business  or  socially. 

Thin  paper,  if  of  bond  stock,  which  is  tough 
and  strong,  is  all  right  for  commercial  corre- 
spondence, particularly  when  the  typewriter  is 
used,  and  the  writing  appears  only  on  one  side 
of  the  sheet.  But  thin  paper  is  objectionable 
for  social  correspondence,  if  the  writer  persists 
in  writing  upon  both  sides  of  the  sheet. 

Bond  paper  costs  six  and  one  half  cents  and 
upwards  per  pound,  and  is  to  be  given  prefer- 
ence over  all  other  stocks,  for  every  class  of  cor- 
respondence, as  it  is  strong  and  its  surface  is 
admirably  adapted  to  both  the  typewriter  and 
the  pen. 

There  are  stocks,  other  than  bond,  which  may 
be  used  for  correspondence,  such  as  what  is 
technically  known  as  "  S  &  C "  (size  and 
calender).  This  paper  has  a  good  surface  for 
both  the  typewriter  and  the  pen,  but  it  is  not 
as  strong  as  bond,  and  is  likely  to  tear  in  the 
typewriter. 

When  in  doubt,  use  bond. 

Do  not  accept  any  paper  until  you  have  tried 
it  with  the  pen,  and  with  the  typewriter,  if  you 
have  one.     The  surface  of  paper  varies  materi- 


42       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

ally,  and  many  a  paper,  which  looks  well,  is  not 
easy  to  write  upon.  Then,  some  thin  papers 
are  more  opaque  than  are  those  of  greater  thick- 
ness. 

On  account  of  the  increased  postage,  much 
of  the  foreign  correspondence  is  written  upon 
thin  paper,  either  on  one  side  or  upon  both  sides 
if  paper  is  very  opaque.  But  paper  of  this 
thinness  is  not  considered  in  good  taste  for 
domestic  correspondence. 


TRANSPARENT    ENVELOPES 

Many  business  houses  are  using  transparent 
envelopes,  which  allow  the  name  and  address  on 
the  letter  or  billhead  to  show  throuf^h. 

It  is,  of  course,  necessary,  when  using  this 
envelope,  to  have  the  name  and  address  properly 
located  upon  the  letter  or  billhead,  so  that  the 
whole  of  it  will  appear.  There  is  no  real  objec- 
tion to  the  use  of  these  envelopes  for  business 
houses,  as  they  are  supposed  to,  or  do,  save  time. 
But  personally,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the 
ordinary  envelope  is  better. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  transparent  envelope 
either  must  be  very  thin  or  else  the  transpar- 
ency part  must  be  pasted  in,  and  pasting  in  is 
objectionable. 

Envelopes  should  be  thick  enough  to  carry 
the  letter  through  the  mail  without  damage. 
For  this  reason,  I  recommend  ordinary  en- 
velopes, which  are  fairly  thick,  in  preference 
to  the  transparent  kind. 

Transparent  envelopes  should  never  be  used 
for  social  correspondence. 


LETTER  -  HEADS 

EvEEY  man  in  business,  without  exception, 
should  have  a  letter-head,  upon  which  is  printed 
at  least  his  name  and  address,  and  his  business 
should  be  added.  If  he  is,  for  example,  a 
grocer,  upon  his  letter-head  should  appear  not 
less  than  the  following  words : 

John  W.  Smith 

Grocer 
406  Main  Street 
Portland,  Maine 

There  is  no  rule  for  the  size  of  type  to  be 
used,  or  for  the  amount  of  material  to  be 
printed,  or  for  its  position  on  the  letter-head ; 
except  that  it  should  be  in  the  left-hand  upper 
comer,  or  in  the  center,  or  should  occupy  the 
entire  top  of  the  letter  sheet 

The  business  man  should  avoid  placing  too 
much  matter  upon  his  letter-head,  as  it  is  likely 
to  confuse  the  reader  and  injures  the  appear 
ance. 

Tkere  ia  no  necessity  of  printing  upon  the 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       45 

letter-head  everything  jou  sell.  The  mere  state- 
ment of  what  jour  business  is,  with  the  addition 
of  specialties,  is  sufficient.  For  example,  if  you 
are  a  grocer,  the  term  "  Grocer  "  covers  your 
business,  and  there  is  no  need  of  adding  "  Fine 
teas  and  coffees,"  or  any  other  line  of  regular 
goods,  which  it  is  obvious  you  carry  in  stock. 

But  if  you  happen  to  be  the  agent  of  some 
particular  brand,  like  "  Star  Flour,"  then  you 
can  add  the  line,  "  Agents  for  Star  Flour." 

If  your  firm  name  is  a  company,  like  "  John 
W.  Smith  &  Company"  or  "Smith  Manufac- 
turing Company,"-  it  is  well  to  print,  in  small 
type,  near  the  upper  margin,  or  at  the  extreme 
left  or  right,  the  names  of  your  officers  or  part- 
ners. 

The  following  are  good  forms  of  letter-heads 
for  corporations: 


John  W.  White.  Pres.  George  White,  Treas, 

The  White  Iron  Company 

Manufacturers  of 

Structural  Hardware 

Chicago,  lU. 


46       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

George  T.  Black,  Pres.  The  StaiTO 

William  R.  Mead,  See.  /-. i   c»..— 

John  M.  Jones,  2V«w.  Coal  -Saver 

George  T.  Black  Company 

Manufacturers   of  StoTes 

48  Main  Street 

OMAHA,  NEB., 

The  following  are  acceptable  forms  of  letter- 
heads for  partnership  concerns: 

Fred.  K.  Small  Geo.  M.  Smith  Edward  T.  WhlU 

Small  &  Smith 

Fit-to- Wear  Clothiers 

708  Portland  Square 

Chicago,  Illinois, 

William  M.  Snow  Long. Wear 

George  W.  Raine  Silverware 

Snow  &  Company 

Silversmiths 
462  Fourth  Ayenne 

New  York  City 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       47 

Where  the  business  is  divided  into  depart- 
ments, it  is  well  to  print  on  the  letter-head,  and 
some  times  in  another  color  of  ink,  lines  like, 


Export  Department 

John  T.  Smith,  Manager 

Sales  Department 

William  W.  Johnson,  Manager 

Credit  Department 

John  H.  Clark,  Manager 

The  name  of  the  manager  may  be  omitted. 
I  present  several  forms  of  corner  or  center 
letter-heads : 


Snow  &  Company 

COAL 

46  Ninth  Avenue 
Boston,  Mass. 

Snow  &  Raine 
ICE 

20  Main  Street 
Rome*  N.T« 


48       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 
STEBL-CiiAD  Mfg.  Co. 

KITCHEN  WARE 

6  Main  Sthssx 

BOSTON 


William  T.  Black 
Flour 

22  Wheat  Exchange  Building 
Boston,  Ma»8. 


John  W.  Smith  &  Co. 

406  Green  Street 
Portland,  Me. 


WDliam  W.  Warren 
Warren,  Wis. 

Prmnk  O.  P9pe  Otorge  Y.  Pop* 

Pope  and  Pope 

Accountants 
Main  St.,  Boston 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       49 
Boston  Iron  Works 

Heavy  Castings 
1720  Beacon  St. 
Galveston.  Tex. 

The  following  forms  of  professional  and 
social  letter-heads  are  to  be  recommended. 
They  may  be  printed  on  the  upper  left  or  upper 
center  of  the  sheet : 

Walter  W.  Warren,  M.D. 

64  Main  Street 

Rome,  N.Y. 

OFFICE    HOURS:  2  TO  3,  7  TO  8 

Marshall  M.  Monroe,  M.D. 

76  Main  Street 
Montreal,  Quebec 
Ocnox  HouBS:  3  to  4,  7  to  8 

Rev.  Wm.  W.  White,  D.D. 
Pastor,  First  Baptist  Church 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Residence,  8^  Third  Avenue 

William  M.  Hubbard 

Attomey-at-Law 

76  Tremont  Building: 

Toronto,  Ont. 


50       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Wallace  W.  Williams 

Lawyer 
6  Main  Street,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

George  W.  Crawford 

Department  of  Economics 

University  of  Minnesota 

Winnipeg,  Manitoba 

Oliver  O.  Ordway,  M.J). 

86  Water  Street 

Chicago,  III. 

Office  Hours:  1  tot,  6  to  7 

Mary  W.  Maynard 

No.  60  White  Street 
Boston,  Mass. 

Florence  F.  Freeman 

Stenographer 

Room  16,  5  Main  St. 

New  York  City 

Ethel  P.  Hunter 
*' The  Elms'' 

Ottawa,  Ontario 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       51 

Some  business  houses  print,  on  their  letter- 
teads,  an  expression  like,  "  All  correspondence 
should  be  addressed  to  the  firm  (or  house  or 
company)  and  not  to  individuals."  There  is 
no  objection  to  this,  but  it  seems  to  be  super- 
fluous, for  many  writers  assume  the  right  to 
address  the  letter  as  they  choose,  and  prefer 
to  send  it  to  an  individual,  and  not  to  the  firm, 
particularly  if  they  are  acquainted  with  the 
party,  and  they  would  not  take  kindly  to  the 
demand  that  they  address  everything  to  the 
firm. 

The  writer  will  do  as  he  pleases.  The  busi- 
ness house  has  no  right  to  dictate  to  him,  unless 
the  receiver  of  the  letter  is  connected  with  the 
company. 

Every  manager  or  official  should  have  it  un- 
derstood that  all  letters  to  him,  unless  marked 
"  Personal "  or  "  Private,"  may  be  opened  by 
his  partners,  or  by  responsible  officers,  or  by 
the  head-clerk. 

If  you  have  a  telephone,  it  is  well  to  print 
the  word,  "  Telephone,"  on  your  letter-head,  but 
it  is  generally  inadvisable  to  give  the  number, 
as  it  may  change.  If  you  use  a  cable  address, 
give  your  cable  code  name  and  address  on  your 
letter-head. 

While  I  am  not  entirely  opposed  to  the  use 
of  artistic  and  ornamental  letters  or  lettering, 
I  would  strongly  advise  the  use  of  only  plain 


52       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

type  or  lettering.  If  ornamental  lettering  is 
preferred,  care  should  be  taken  to  use  only 
type  which  that  particular  style  of  lettering 
is  adapted  to.  But  under  no  circumstances  use 
fancy  lettering  for  the  firm  name,  business,  or 
address. 

Many  faces  of  modern  type  are  illegible,  and 
the  receiver  may  not  be  sure  as  to  the  exact 
spelling  of  the  firm's  name,  especially  of  the 
initials. 

Do  not  have  more  than  a  few  styles  of  type 
or  lettering,  especially  on  the  letter-head.  Bet- 
ter have  only  one,  and,  of  course,  type  of  dif- 
ferent sizes. 

There  are  four  forms  of  letter-head  printing: 
First,  from  type;  secondly,  from  the  copper  or 
steel  plate;  thirdly,  from  stone  or  what  is 
known  as  lithography;  fourthly,  from  a  sketch 
by  an  artist,  which  may  be  reproduced  on  the 
common  printing  press,  or  by  engraving  on  cop- 
per or  steel,  or  by  lithography. 

The  most  economical  form,  so  far  as  cost  is 
concerned,  of  letter-head  printing,  is  that  from 
type,  and  printed  upon  an  ordinary  printing 
press. 

If  your  printer  does  not  carry  the  right  faces 
of  type,  you  can  have  the  letter-head  set  by 
some  expert  typographer,  and  an  electrotype 
furnished  you,  which  any  printer  can  handle. 
This  is  to  be  advised,  because  with  this  electro- 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       53 

type  on  hand,  you  can  give  subsequent  orders 
for  letter-heads,  without  the  additional  expense 
for  setting. 

The  copper  or  steel  engraved  letter-head  is 
always  in  good  taste,  and  has  a  richness  which 
cannot  be  produced  in  any  other  way,  but  the 
cost  of  the  production  is  very  much  greater,  as 
steel  or  copper  engraving  has  to  be  done  by 
hand,  and  only  a  few  hundred  an  hour  can  be 
printed,  while  several  times  this  number  can 
be  run  on  a  printing  press.  If  you  use  this 
class  of  engraving,  avoid  script,  as  a  rule,  as  it 
is  hard  to  read. 

The  first  printings  from  a  copper  plate  are 
practically  identical  with  that  of  the  steel  plate, 
but  if  you  are  going  to  use  a  large  number  of 
letter-heads,  the  steel  plate  is  cheaper  in  the 
end,  because  it  will  wear  much  longer. 

Lithography,  or  stone-work,  is  much  more 
expensive  than  that  of  the  ordinary  letterpress, 
unless  you  have  a  large  number  printed  at  the 
same  time,  when  the  cost  is  not  much  higher. 
This  class  resembles  steel  and  copper  engraving, 
and  is  richer  and  more  artistic  than  is  possible 
to  obtain  by  the  work  of  the  printing  press.  It 
gives  your  letter-head  a  distinction  which  is  not 
procurable  from  type. 

Embossing  is  similar  to  the  result  obtained 
from  the  steel  plate,  except  that  the  letters  are 
slightly  raised,  and  the  distinctiveness  is  much 


64        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

enhanced  therefrom.  It  is  expensive,  but  is  to 
be  recommended  by  those  who  can  afford  it. 
Script,  or  fancy  letters,  should  never  be  em- 
bossed. Better  use  a  plain  and  very  legible 
style  of  lettering.  The  quality  of  this  work 
does  not  need  embellishment;  the  plainer  it  is, 
the  better. 

If  you  have  a  trade-mark,  there  is  no  objec- 
tion to  having  it  appear  on  the  letter-head,  pref- 
erably in  some  other  color  of  ink. 

Comparatively  few  women  and  professional 
men,  unless  they  be  lawyers,  doctors,  or  clergy- 
men, used  printed  letter-heads,  but,  fortunately, 
the  custom  is  changing,  and  the  printed  letter- 
head is  permissible  under  all  social  conditions. 
It  is  to  be  advised,  because  it  prevents  mistakes 
and  complications. 

The  lawyer,  doctor,  or  clergyman  may  use  the 
ordinary  printed  letter-head,  or  one  engraved 
or  embossed,  or  done  by  lithography;  but  he 
should  avoid  the  use  of  large  type  or  lettering; 
and  should  have,  as  a  rule,  the  printed  matter 
placed  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner,  or  else 
occupy  a  small  space  in  the  center.  It  should 
not  extend  clear  across  the  letter  sheet,  except  in 
the  case  of  lawyers,  and  then  only  when  there  is 
a  firm  of  lawyers.  Even  then,  it  is  better  to 
confine  the  printing  to  small  space.  As  on  busi- 
ness letter-heads,  no  form  of  lettering  should 
be  used  which  is  not  legible^ 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       55 

Manj  social  writers,  especially  women,  prefer 
an  initial  or  monogram.  This  is  in  good  taste, 
but  has  no  value,  except  for  decoration.  It 
stands  for  nothing.  There  is  no  objection  to 
using  a  monogram  in  connection  with  the  print- 
ing of  name  and  address. 

The  custom  of  printing  the  street  address,  at 
the  top  of  a  social  letter  sheet,  is  becoming  com- 
mon. This  is  to  be  encouraged,  but  I  see  no 
reason  why  the  name  should  not  accompany  the 
street  address;  and  there  appears  to  be  every 
reason  why  tlie  town  and  state  should  be  added. 

The  object  of  all  letters,  both  business  and 
social,  is  to  deliver  a  message,  with  or  without 
the  suggestion  of  a  reply.  This  being  the  case, 
it  is  obvious  that  the  writer  should  not  make 
it  difficult  for  the  receiver  to  answer  his  written 
communications. 

Unless  one  is  familiar  with  the  writer's  name 
and  address,  he  may  be  unable  to  reply  with  a 
certainty  of  his  letter  being  received,  due  to 
carelessness  of  writing  and  tx)  the  absence  of 
address.  If  the  name  and  address  are  not 
printed  upon  the  letter-head,  complications  are 
likely  to  arise.  Better  sacrifice  the  Mrs.  Grundy 
principles  of  social  etiquette,  than  make  it  dif- 
ficult for  the  one  writing  you  to  answer  your 
letter. 

A  signature  and  written  address  are  of  little 
nse,  if  the  receiver  is  not  able  readily  to  read 


56        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

the  handwriting.  Better  take  no  chance;  and 
the  only  way  to  avoid  complications  is  never  to 
use  a  letter  sheet,  except  when  writing  a  friend, 
which  does  not  have  upon  it,  plainly  printed, 
your  name  and  address. 

A  very  inexpensive,  and  yet  neat  and  artistic 
form  of  social  letter  paper,  can  be  procured  by 
ordering  a  light  blue  paper  with  your  name  and 
address  printed  in  a  blue  ink  much  darker  than 
that  of  the  paper.  The  two  colors  being  alike, 
yet  of  different  density,  will  produce  a  har- 
monious result 


NAMES   AND  ADDRESSES   ON 
ENVELOPES 

The  name  and  address  of  the  sender  of  every 
kind  of  a  letter,  both  business  and  social,  should 
be  written  or  printed  upon  the  envelope. 

There  is  absolutely  no  excuse,  and  no  reason, 
for  not  doing  so. 

Unless  the  name  and  address  appear  upon  the 
envelope,  the  letter  may  miscarry,  and  will  then 
go  to  the  dead-letter  office,  causing  a  delay  of 
•several  months. 

If  the  name  and  address  are  given,  the  Post 
Office  Department  will  return  the  letter  to  the 
sender,  if  it  is  unable  to  locate  the  party  to 
whom  it  is  addressed.  Further,  if  the  writer 
forgets  to  affix  a  postage  stamp,  or  it  drops  off, 
the  letter  will  be  returned  to  him;  otherwise, 
the  party  addressed  will  receive  a  notice,  and 
be  obliged  to  forward  postage  to  obtain  the  letter. 

Probably  nine-tenths  of  social  letters  are 
mailed  without  the  name  and  address  appearing 
upon  the  envelope,  and  many  letters  go  astray 
or  are  not  delivered.  There  is  no  social  ot 
ethical  rule  which  suggests  this  omission. 


68       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

If  you  do  not  carry  envelopes  with  your  name 
and  address  upon  them,  write  your  nam©  and 
address  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner  of  the 
address  side  of  the  envelope,  or  upon  the  back, 
—  preferably  upon  the  address  side. 

If  you  object  to  printing  your  name  upon  a 
social  envelope,  you  may  use  your  initials,  pro- 
vided you  follow  them  with  a  sufficient  address. 
There  is  no  objection  to  writing  matter  some- 
thing as  follows  upon  the  envelope: 

E.  G.  T. 

No.  74  Green  Street 

Omaha,  Neb. 

Nothing,  however,  is  to  be  gained  by  so  do- 
ing. Better  write  your  name  out  in  full.  But 
initials  and  monograms  should  never  be  used 
without  the  addition  of  your  name,  if  you  are 
located  in  an  office  building,  or  in  an  apartment 
house  where  many  families  reside. 

The  writing  of  your  name,  as  well  as  your 
address,  gives  you  double  security,  for  the  en- 
velope may  be  blurred  in  the  mail,  and  either 
your  name  or  your  address,  or  a  part  of  them, 
may  not  be  legible.  If  both  appear,  you  have 
every  reason  to  expect  the  return  of  your  letter, 
if  the  party  addressed  cannot  be  located. 

A  few  writers  place  the  name  and  address  in 
the  lower  left-hand  corner  of  the  envelope.  This 
is  to  be  avoidod,  as  it  is  likely  to  confuse  the 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       59 

post  office  clerks,  for  this  space  is  frequently 
used  for  the  address  of  the  receiver. 

If  the  name  and  address  appear  on  the  back 
of  the  envelope,  they  should  be  written  or 
printed  directly  above  or  below  the  flap. 

The  Post  Office  Department  will  print  the 
name  and  address  in  the  upper  left-hand  comer 
of  the  address  side  of  stamped  envelopes  of  any 
denomination  of  two  or  more  cents,  but  will  use 
only  a  small  and  uniform  style  of  type,  and 
limits  the  matter  to  four  lines.  The  first  line 
reads,   "  After  days  return  to." 

The  Department  will  print  any  number  of 
days,  from  three  to  30  inclusive.  It  is  use- 
less to  write  or  print,  "  Return  in  one  or  two 
days,"  because  the  post  office  holds  the  letter  at 
least  three  days. 

If  the  number  of  days  from  three  to  30  is 
designated,  the  Department  will  hold  the  letter 
for  the  time  specified,  and  then  return  it  to  the 
sender.  If  the  number  of  days  is  not  given,  it 
will  be  held  30  days.  If  the  name  and  address 
of  the  sender  is  not  given  on  the  envelope,  the 
Department  holds  it  30  days,  then  advertises  it, 
and  in  about  two  weeks  sends  it  to  the  Dead- 
Letter  Office,  where  it  may  remain  several 
weeks. 

The  tendency  to  print  the  name  and  address, 
with  or  without  the  business,  in  large  type,  is 
to  fee  discouraged.     An  envelope  is  not  a  good 


60       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

advertising  medium,  and  there  is  no  business, 
or  other,  excuse  for  covering  the  face  or  back 
of  the  envelope  with  advertising  matter. 

Many  concerns  prefer  to  print  their  name 
and  address  upon  the  envelope,  instead  of  al- 
lowing it  to  be  done  by  the  Government.  Of 
course,  this  entails  additional  expense,  as  the 
Government  charges  only  a  few  cents  a  thou- 
sand for  doing  this  work.  It  is  obvious,  how- 
ever, that  a  Government-printed  envelope  has 
no  individuality,  and  it  is  sometimes  advisable 
to  send  out  an  envelope  very  artistically 
printed,  but  large  type  should  not  be  used. 
Every  letter  should  be  plain,  distinct,  and  legi- 
ble. When  in  doubt,  use  Roman  or  some  face 
resembling  Roman. 

I  present  several  styles  of  composition,  all 
of  which  are  neat,  consequently  they  are  ar- 
tistic. 

I  have  omitted  from  some  of  the  examples 

the  line,  "  After days  return  to,"  as  this 

is  optional  with  the  sender,  but  it  can  be  added 
without  affecting  the  appearance. 

For  the  upper  left-hand  comer,  on  the  ad- 
dress side  of  a  business  envelope: 

Wallace  W.  Smith 

608  White  Ave. 

BoBtout  Maas. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       61 

Smith  Manufacturing  Co. 

1080  Washington  St. 

New  York  City 

Return  in  five  dayt  to 

Smith  4"  Jones 

8  North  St.,  Chicago,  El. 

The  White  Car  Co. 
Portland,  Maine 

Washington  Mills 

Rome,  N.  Y. 

White,  Brown  &  Black 
Boston,  Mass. 

White  &  White  Co. 

600  Main  Street 

Boston,  Mass. 

For  professional  or  social  envelopes: 

John  T.  Smith,  M.D. 

No.  109  Third  Ave. 

Rome,  N.  Y. 

Return  In  six  days  to 

George  R.  Whitehead 

70  East  Street 

Rome.  N.V. 


62        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 


Florence  T.  "Wortiiiii^ton. 

75  Western  Avenue 
Boston.  Mass. 


C  W.  R..  100  White  St,  Maiden.  Ohio 


Walter  W.  Warren,  16  Warren  Ave.,  Warren,  Iowa 

There  is  no  need  of  using  the  word  ^'  From," 
as  the  printed  or  written  matter  is  self-ex- 
planatory. 

Ends  of  lines  do  not  require  punctuation 
marks,  unless  thej  are  abbreviations,  when 
they  should  be  followed  with  a  period. 

It  is  optional  whether  or  not  "  Street "  and 
"  Avenue "  are  spelled  out.  The  best  rule  to 
follow  is  to  spell  them  out,  if  there  is  room; 
otherwise,  to  abbreviate  them ;  but  "  Place  " 
and  "  Road  "  should  be  spelled  out. 

The  number  of  the  street,  like  "  100  White 
Street,"  may  be  preceded  by  "  No."  It  is  bad 
form  to  spell  it  out,  although  this  is  sometimes 
done  on  social  envelopes,  letter  paper,  and  in- 
vitations. It  shows  affectation  and  a  desire  to 
be  different  without  reason. 

Under  no  circumstances  should  the  street 
number  be  spelled  out.  Write  or  print  it  "  100 
White  Street,"  and  not  "  One  Hundred  White 
Street" 


ADDRESSING   AN    ENVELOPE 

Addresses  upon  envelopes,  and  all  packages 
to  be  delivered  by  mail,  should  be  plainly  writr 
ten,  preferably  with  a  typewriter.  The  number 
and  name  of  the  street  shoiild  always  appear, 
if  the  party  addressed  does  not  live  in  a  small 
town.  The  names  of  the  city  or  town,  and  the 
state,  should  be  clear,  and  admit  of  no  miscon- 
struction. 

Under  no  circumstances  should  the  name  of 
the  city  or  town  be  abbreviated,  but  there  is  no 
objection  to  using  abbreviations  for  states,  in 
which  case  they  should  be  more  carefully  writ- 
ten than  if  the  name  of  the  state  is  spelled  out. 

The  name  of  the  partv  addressed  should  be 
preceded  by  "  Mr.,"  "  Mrs.,"  "  Miss,"  "  Dr.," 
"  Rev.,"  "Col.,"  or  other  title.  "  Esq."  may 
be  used  instead  of  "  Mr.,"  but  the  latter  form 
is  preferable. 

There  is  no  objection  to  writing  "  Messrs." 
before  a  company  or  firm  name,  but  it  is  not 
necessary. 

The  street  address  may  be  written   in   the 


64       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

lower  left-hand  comer,  but  it  is  better  to  write 
it  as  it  appears  in  the  following  form : 

Mr.  John  W.  Smith, 
44  Crescent  Street, 
Boston, 
Ma^s. 

When  letters  are  addressed  to  parties  having 
offices  in  large  buildings,  the  room  number  may 
be  given,  and  should  appear  if  the  letter  is  ad- 
dressed to  an  individual  whose  name  is  not 
painted  upon  the  door  or  bulletin  board  in  the 
hall.  It  is  safer,  however,  to  address  one  in 
care  of  the  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member,  unless 
his  name  is  a  part  of  the  firm  name ;  like 

Mr.  Henry  T.  Smith, 

Care  of  George  M.  Jones  &  Compafny, 

46  Beacon  Street, 

Portland,  Maine. 

Some  time  ago  the  following  form  began  to 
be  used: 

Boston,  Mass., 

John  T.  Smith  &  Company, 

00  Beacon  Street. 

The  use  of  th©  foregoing  form  is  not  to  be 
recommended,  as  it  is  better  to  follow  conven- 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        65 

tional  styles  and  usage,  and  not  to  confuse  the 
distributing  clerks  in  the  post  oflace,  or  the 
letter  carriers. 

The  placing  of  the  post-office  box  number  on 
the  envelope  is  optional.  Your  box  number,  if 
you  have  one,  is  not  likely  to  be  known  to  your 
correspondents.;  but  there  is  no  objection  to 
printing  it  upon  printed  return  envelopes,  in 
which  case,  I  would  advise  the  appearance  also 
of  the  street  and  number. 

The  writing  of  the  word  "  City  "  on  an  en- 
velope, when  it  is  sent  to  an  address  in  the  same 
city,  is  unsafe.  Letters  occasionally  are  placed 
in  the  wrong  mail-bag,  and  the  letter  mailed  by 
one,  say,  from  Boston,  to  another  person  in  the 
same  city,  with  "  City  "  written  on  the  envelope, 
may,  by  accident,  be  sent  to  another  city,  in 
which  case  the  receiving  post  office  cannot  for- 
ward it  to  the  proper  place,  unless  the  cancella- 
tion mark  is  clear,  which  may  not  occur. 

Care  should  be  taken  to  begin  the  address  on 
the  envelope  not  much  above  the  center  of  the 
envelope.  If  it  appears  \joo  near  the  top,  the 
cancellation  mark  may  obliterate  it. 


CARE    IN   ADDRESSING 

Unless  you  are  sure  of  the  address  of  the 
party  written  to,  look  it  up.  If  you  cannot  find 
it,  then  write  upon  the  envelope  information 
which  will  aid  the  Post  Office  Department.  For 
example :  let  us  suppose  that  you  wish  to  write 
to  Mr.  John  W.  Smith,  who  does  business,  and 
lives,  in  New  York  City,  and  cannot  locate  his 
street  address.  Then  write  upon  the  envelope 
something  as  follows : 


Mr.  John  W.  Smith, 
Real  Estate  Agent, 
New  York  City. 


Or,  write  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner  of  the 
envelope, 

"  Probably  on  West  22nd  St  or  West  23d 
St." 

If  the  party  addressed  lives  in  a  large  city, 
and  his  name  is  not  uncommon,  the  chances  are 
there  are  from  one  dozen  to  several  hundred 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       67 

residents  of  that  place  bearing  the  same  name. 
A  friend  of  mine  moved  to  New  York  several 
years  ago,  and  he  bore  an  ordinary  name.  Upon 
investigation  he  found  in  the  New  York  direc- 
tory 462  men  living  under  a  name  the  same  as 
his  or  very  similar  to  it. 

You  cannot  be  over-careful  in  addressing  an 
envelope  or  package. 


STAMPING   ENVELOPES 

All  envelopes  should  be  carefully  stamped, 
unless  they  are  stamped  envelopes.  If  you  are 
sending  out  many  at  the  same  time,  not  only 
stamp  them  carefully,  but  look  at  each  one  be- 
fore mailing  it.  If  the  stamp  falls  off,  and 
many  of  them  do,  the  letter  will  be  delayed. 

If  your  name  and  address  is  upon  the  en- 
velope, it  will  be  returned  to  you  promptly. 
But  if  your  address  does  not  appear,  the  post 
office  will  notify  the  receiver,  and  he  cannot 
obtain  the  letter  until  he  forwards  the  postage. 

I  advise  all  business  men  to  use  the  stamped 
envelopes  for  ordinary  purposes,  whether  or  not 
their  addresses  are  printed  by  the  Government. 

If  an  envelope  is  spoiled  in  addressing,  the 
Government  will  return  the  full  value  of  the 
stamp  printed  upon  it. 

As  the  Government  does  not  manufacture 
stamped  envelopes  of  high  grade,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  user  of  an  expensive  envelope,  either 
for  business  or  social  correspondence,  must  pro- 
cure them  elsewhere,  and  affix  postage  stamps  to 
them. 


SUFFICIENT    POSTAGE 

Be  careful  to  attach  a  sufficient  number  of 
stamps  to  every  envelope  containing  either  a 
letter  or  printed  matter,  or  both.  If  you  do  not, 
your  mail  will  be  delayed,  and  the  receiver  will 
have  to  pay  additional  postage,  —  a  small  sum, 
it  is  true,  but  most  receivers  object  to  being 
obliged  to  pay  anything  for  a  letter. 

Every  business  man  should  have  a  correct 
postal  scale,  in  the  absence  of  which,  he  should 
carry  letters  to  the  post  office  to  be  weighed, 
except  where  he  is  sure  there  is  no  overweight. 
Do  not  depend  upon  cheap  postal  scales  sold  at 
the  stores;  better  have  a  good  one,  or  none  at 
all. 

Unpaid,  or  underpaid,  mail  matter,  other 
than  first-class  or  sealed  matter,  will  not  be  for- 
warded. It  will  be  returned  to  the  sender,  if  his 
address  is  upon  it;  if  not  the  party  addressed 
will  be  «iotified  to  forward  the  necessary  postage. 


ElfCLOSING   STAMP   FOR   REPLY 

Postage  stamps,  or  stamped  envelopes  with 
the  address  printed  on  them,  should  not  be  en- 
closed with  ordinary  business  letters,  as  it  is 
obvious  that  the  receiver  is  sufficiently  inter- 
ested to  reply  at  his  own  expense.  Nor  need 
stamps  be  enclosed  with  social  letters,  addressed 
to  personal  friends,  although  there  is  no  objec- 
tion to  so  doing. 

If  the  reply,  however,  is  wholly  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  writer,  and  is  of  no  benefit  to  the 
receiver,  stamps,  or  stamped  envelopes,  should 
be  enclosed  with  both  business  and  social  letters. 

Stamps  should  never  be  sent  to  any  depart- 
ment of  the  United  States  Government,  or  to  a 
Member  of  Congress,  when  the  matter  written 
about  is  official ;  because  United  States  Govern- 
ment officials  and  Congressmen  may  mail  mat- 
ter concerning  their  departments  free  of  postage. 

The  use  of  an  unstamped  return  envelope  is 
advisable  when  you  are  addressing  a  person 
who  may  not  correctly  write  your  name  and  ad- 
dress, but  it  is  not  necessary  when  addressing 
a  bnsinees  house. 


THE    SPACE    BETWEEN    THE    LINES 
OF    A    LETTER 

The  typewritten  letter  should  never  be  sin- 
gle-spaced, if  the  length  of  the  lines  exceed 
three  inches.  The  usual  length  of  the  type- 
written line  is  between  six  and  six  and  one-half 
inches. 

Single  spacing  makes  the  letter  difficult  to 
read,  and  materially  lessens  its  effect  upon  the 
receiver. 

Double  spacing  is  preferable  in  all  cases,  but 
necessary  where  the  lines  are  long. 

Newspaper  men,  and  other  writers,  fre- 
quently resort  to  three,  or  to  even  four,  spaces 
between  the  lines,  but  I  would  not  advise  more 
than  two  spaces  in  an  ordinary  letter. 

Hand-written  letters  should  not  be  closely 
written.  There  should  be  about  as  much  space 
between  the  lines  as  appears  in  a  properly 
spaced  typewritten  letter. 

Do  not  run  your  words  together  in  hand- 
written letters ;  have  a  readable  space  between 
each  word ;  better  have  too  much  space  than  too 
little. 


72        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

If  you  use  what  is  known  as  the  vertical  style 
of  writing,  where  letters  are  of  greater  height 
or  depth,  be  careful  not  to  run  your  "  I's,"  or 
"  y's,"  or  other  letters  into  those  preceding  them 
or  following  them. 

While  too  much  space  is  not  to  be  recom- 
mended, it  is  better  to  err  in  this  direction  than 
to  crowd  your  lines  and  words  together. 


BUSINESS   LETTERS 

As  the  writing  of  these  letters  has  been  con- 
sidered in  detail  in  several  of  the  chapters  of 
this  book,  it  is  unnecessary  to  comment  at  length 
upon  them  here;  except  that  it  may  be  said, 
that  business  letters,  even  though  written  by  a 
concern  consisting  of  only  one  man,  are  imper- 
sonal, and  should  represent  the  business,  not 
the  individuality,  of  the  writer. 

The  business  letter  may  be  cordial,  but  it 
must  at  all  times  be  businesslike  and  somewhat 
formal,  and,  unless  the  writer  is  addressing  a 
personal  friend,  it  should  contain  no  personali- 
ties or  anything  not  pertinent  to  the  subject 
considered. 


SOCIAL   LETTERS 

The  writer  of  a  social  letter  has  a  license 
to  say  whatever  he  chooses,  and  its  contents 
should  be  representative  of  his  personality.  It 
should  be  intimate  and  cordial,  and  may  con- 
tain pleasantries,  or  anything  else,  which  the 
writer  of  it  thinks  would  interest  its  receiver. 

Social  letters  are  treated  in  detail  in  several 
chapters. 


CIRCULAR  OR  DUPLICATE  LETTERS 

The  superabundance  of  circular  letters  used 
by  business  houses,  and  the  common  practice  of 
having  them  set  in  type,  more  or  less  in  imita- 
tion of  type^vTitten  matter,  have  depreciated  the 
value  of  any  attempt  to  deceive  the  public  into 
believing  that  tliey  are  personally  written  and 
are  not  mere  circulars. 

A  letter  of  two  or  more  pages,  even  if  indi- 
vidually written,  may  be  considered  a  circular 
letter  by  the  receiver,  unless  it  is  in  answer  to 
an  inquiry  by  him.  Consequently,  I  would 
caution  the  business  house  against  more  than  a 
limited  use  of  so-called  facsimile  typewritten 
letters.  Roman  type  is  much  easier  to  read, 
and  in  many  cases  it  is  more  effective  to  enclose 
a  neatly  printed  circular  than  to  attempt  to 
force  the  reader  to  peruse  a  long  letter.  But  I 
am  decidedly  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  better,  in 
most  cases,  to  send  a  personally  written  short 
letter  with  every  circular,  if  it  is  addressed 
to  others  than  those  connected  with  the  concern. 

Of  course,  there  is  no  objection  to  a  circular 
letter  of  any  size  containing  descriptions  and 


76        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

instructions,  if  it  is  sent  to  employees  or  others 
connected  with  the  house.  1  am  referring 
wholly  to  letters  sent  to  customers,  or  to  pros- 
pective customers. 

It  is  obvious  that  a  few  words  inside  of  the 
receiver  are  worth  a  thousand  words  outside  of 
him.  What  he  will  read,  not  what  you  send 
him,  counts. 

In  these  days,  when  advertising  is  epidemic, 
the  average  receiver  is  so  saturated  with  ad- 
vertising matter  that  he  is  likely  to  throw  into 
the  waste  basket,  imread,  everything  he  receives, 
unless  his  attention  is  called  to  it  in  a  personal 
way,  or  the  matter  particularly  interests  him. 

Circular  letters,  then,  should  be  extremely 
brief,  and,  as  a  rule,  make  but  one  point.  It  is 
far  better  not  to  employ  the  duplicating  systems, 
except  in  exceptional  cases  and  when  sending 
communications  to  employees,  and  to  address 
the  letter  individually  to  the  customer,  enclosing 
brief  and  attractive  printed  matter,  and,  as  a 
rule,  not  more  than  one  piece  with  a  letter. 

All  letters  of  solicitation  should  get  right 
down  to  business.  There  is  absolutely  no  reason 
why  they  should  be  literary  productions,  nor 
should  they  be  handicapped  by  flowery  or  blind 
introductions.  What  reads  well  to  the  sender, 
because  he  is  interested  in  it,  may  not  appeal  to 
the  receiver.  The  story  should  be  told  in  the 
fewest  words,  and  some  particular  point  should 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        77 

be  made,  to  be  followed  with  other  letters,  each 
one  covering  some  other  strong  advantage. 

More  than  half  of  the  money  expended  for 
circular  letters,  and  for  the  accompanying 
printed  matter  is  lost,  because  of  the  length  of 
the  letters,  and  because  too  much  circular  matter 
is  enclosed. 

There  are,  on  the  market,  several  machines, 
known  by  various  names,  which  are  advertised 
to  produce  facsimiles  of  typewritten  letters,  the 
name  and  address  of  the  receiver  to  be  filled  in 
with  a  typewriter-  of  the  face  of  type  and  the 
color  of  ink  corresponding  to  that  of  the  letter. 

Comparatively  few  of  these  letters  pass  mus- 
ter. 

So  many  of  them  are  sent  'out,  that  the  re- 
ceiver, if  a  business  man,  is  likely  immediately 
to  recognize  them  for  what  they  are,  and  he  may 
treat  them  as  he  would  a  printed  circular. 

Unless  this  work  is  perfectly  done,  so  that 
the  duplication  is  not  discernible,  they  are  no 
better  than  printed  circulars. 

It  is  difficult  to  produce  them,  even  by  the 
best  processes,  because  the  ribbon  on  the  type- 
writer is  not  likely  to  maintain  the  same  color 
as  that  of  the  letter  itself  for  more  than  a  lim- 
ited number  of  impressions,  and  the  name  and 
address,  although  they  roeemble  the  body  of  the 
letter,  may  not  do  so  sufficiently  to  prevent  the 
suspicion  that  they  are  circular  letters. 


78        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Some  years  ago,  I  conceived  a  scheme  for 
so-called  circular  letters,  particularly  for  those 
so  long  that  they  would  not  justify  the  expense 
of  being  individually  written,  which  has  proved 
a  pronounced  success. 

Instead  of  sending  out  a  long  circular  letter 
in  imitation  of  typewriting,  it  is  better,  I  be- 
lieve, to  address  each  party  separately  in  a  short 
letter,  the  whole  letter,  including  the  name  and 
address,  to  be  written  on  the  typewriter,  the 
body  of  the  letter  briefly  referring  to  an  enclo- 
sure, or  to  something  pasted  upon,  or  in  any 
other  way  attached  to,  the  letter  itself. 

Let  us  suppose,  for  example,  that  you  desire 
to  send  out  a  number  of  letters  about  a  new  hot- 
water  heater,  which  you  are  making.  Address 
to  each  party  a  letter  written  somewhat  as  fol- 
lows: 

Boston,  Mass.,  Jan.  3,  1913. 
Mr.  John  T.  Smith,  ,     ' 

Portland,  Maine. 
Dear  Sir: 

We  would  specially  call  your  atten- 
tion to  the  appended  (or  enclosed)  de- 
scription of  our  new  Star  Heater,  par- 
ticularly adapted  to  residences. 
Respectfully  yours. 
The  Jones  Manufacturing  Co., 
By  John  T.  Smith,  President. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        79 

"  By "  may  be  omitted,  but  bad  better  be 
used. 

Enclose  in  the  letter  a  brief  description  of 
the  beater,  or  enclose  one  or  more  imitations  of 
typewritten  pages,  or  paste  or  fasten  to  the 
upper  left-hand  corner  of  the  letter,  a  short 
printed  description  in  the  form  of  a  proof. 

If  the  receiver  is  interested,  he  will  read 
what  you  send  him.  He  is  assured  that  you 
consider  him  of  sufficient  importance  to  send 
him  a  personally  written  letter.  The  attaching 
of  the  proof  is  both  novel  and  attractive. 

The  enclosing  of  a  long  circular  is  not  so 
likely  to  command  attention. 

I  suggest  that  in  some  cases  it  would  be  well 
to  enclose  a  proof  of  the  full  announcement  or 
descriptive  catalogue,  if  not  too  large.  Men- 
tion in  your  letter  that  you  enclose  an  advance 
proof  of  the  catalogue  about  to  be  issued. 

It  would  be  well  for  you  to  place  in  the  en- 
velope reproductions  of  photographs  of  your 
heater,  with  brief  printed  descriptions. 

I  would  further  suggest,  that  you  enclose  a 
postal  card,  with  your  name  and  address  printed 
upon  the  face  of  it,  and  on  the  other  side, 
printed  matter  as  follows: 

Kindly  mail  me  your  catalogue. 

Name    

'Address 


80        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

I  further  suggest,  that  upon  this  postal  card 
be  blanks  for  information,  for  the  writer  to  fill 
out,  stating  whether  or  not  his  residence  is  new, 
or  is  to  be  built,  with  space  for  the  number  of 
rooms  and  other  particulars. 

The  receiver  is  likely  to  give  this  informa- 
tion, and  the  receipt  of  his  reply  enables  you  to 
write  him  personally  and  to  give  approximate 
prices,  etc 

Business  houses  should  avoid  the  placing  of 
too  much  printed  matter  in/an  envelope,  if  a 
letter  is  enclosed.  Better  send  brief  descrip- 
tions with  the  letter,  and  make  it  easy  for  the 
receiver  to  ask  for  more  information. 

•  Upon  general  principles,  I  would  advise  the 
sending  of  a  personally  written  letter  to  all 
parties  to  whom  you  send  catalogues,  whether 
the  catalogue  is  enclosed  with  the  letter  or  sent 
separately. 

When  sending  catalogues,  or  other  printed 
matter,  under  another  cover,  and  to  parties  at 
a  distance,  I  suggest  that  the  catalogues  be 
mailed  a  few  hours  before  the  letters  are,  so 
that  they  will  reach  the  receivers  at  about  the 
same  time.  If  mailed  together,  the  letters  are 
likely  to  reach  the  receivers  several  hours,  or 
even  a  day  or  days,  before  the  catalogues  are 
received.  On  catalogue  envelope  print  "  See 
accompanying  letter."  v^ 


FOLLOW-UP   LETTERS 

Although  a  proportion,  and,  perhaps,  a 
large  one,  of  letters  sent  out,  do  not  receive  the 
attention  they  deserve,  and  are  either  filed  after 
a  clerk  has  read  them,  or  thrown  into  the  waste 
basket,  the  system  of  follow-up  letters  has  been 
generally  profitable. 

I  know  of  concerns  who  send  out  as  many  as 
25  follow-up  letters. 

Before  beginning  to  send  out  follow-up  let- 
ters, establish  a  card,  or  other  index,  and  keep 
a  record  of  everything  you  send  out,  and  of 
replies  received.  Divide  this  index  into  sec- 
tions, known  as  A.  B.  C,  etc.,  and  record  on 
each  card,  the  date*  and  the  number  referring 
to  the  form  sent. 

Follow-up  letters  should  vary  in  size,  and 
each  one  should  make  a  special  point ;  better 
one  point  than  several.  Each  follow-up  letter 
should  invite  correspondence,  either  by  using 
such  expressions  as  "  May  we  not  send  you  full 
particulars  ?  "  Or,  "  When  are  you  likely  to 
be  in  the  market  ? "  Or,  "  Is  there  anything 
special  you  would  like  to  know  ? " 


82        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Tile  enclosing  of  a  blank  to  be  filled  out,  or 
a  poetal  upon  which  leading  questions  are 
printed,  with  blank  spaces  for  answers,  is  to  be 
recommended.  Many  a  receiver  will  fill  out 
and  mail  a  postal  card,  when  he  might  not  take 
the  time  to  write  a  letter  of  inquirj.  Make  it 
eaerf  for  him  to  reply. 

If  you  enclose  printed  matter,  it  is  well  not 
always  to  use  the  same  thing,  even  if  you  have 
nothing  new  to  send.  Reword  it,  and  reprint 
it ;   make  it  look  fresh. 

I  again  wish  to  impress  upon  you,  the  trade- 
bringing  value  of  confining  practically  all  of 
your  follow-up  letters  to  the  presentation  of 
«ome  special  or  seasonable  point,  which  is  more 
likely  to  appeal  to  the  receiver  than  is  a  con- 
glomeration or  a  full  description.  It  is  obvious 
that  you  may  cover  all  of  the  points  in  the  series 
of  letters  sent  out. 

There  is  no  rule  for  the  time  which  should 
elapse  between  the  sending  out  of  follow-up  let- 
ters, but  as  much  as  a  week  should  pass.  Some- 
times it  is  well  to  wait  two  or  three  weeks,  or 
longer.  Success,  however,  has  been  made  by 
sending  out  a  circular  letter  every  day  for  a 
week  or  more,  but  this  must  be  done  with  the 
greatest  care,  so  as  to  not  offend  the  receiver. 
In  case  you  do  this,  each  letter  must  be  the  ex- 
treme of  brevity,  and  should  not  contain  over 
100  words;    better  half  that  number. 


LETTERS    OF    SOLICITATION 

Every  business  house,  and  practically  every 
business  nian,  sends  out  letters  of  solicitation, 
usually  accompanied  with  printed  matter,  the 
printed  matter  being  enclosed  with  the  letter 
9r  sent  under  another  cover. 

Experts,  representing  every  class  of  business, 
have  labored  for  years  to  produce  a  form,  or 
forms,  of  letters  of  solicitation,  which  are  likely 
to  receive  the  attention  of  their  receivers;  but 
no  one  has,  as  yet,  produced  anything  which  is 
more  than  moderately  successful. 

Business  men,  especially  those  of  large  firms, 
are  pxtroTnoly  busy  and  do  not  have  time  to  read 
more  than  important  letters;  and  many  heads 
of  firms,  and  high  officials,  never  see  any  letter 
or  any  piece  of  printed  matter,  until  it  has 
passed  through  a  secretary  or  clerk.  These 
assistants,  obviously,  do  not  bring  to  their  em- 
ployer's attention  anything  which  they  think 
he  would  not  care  to  see;  they  often  destroy 
or  file  correspondence,  catalogues,  and  circulars, 
which  it  would  be  to  their  employer's  interest 
to  read. 


84        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Consequently,  it  is  extremely  difficult  to 
write,  or  print,  anything  which  will  reach  per- 
sonally the  party  to  whom  it  is  addressed. 

Practically  every  suppoaable  scheme  has  been 
tried,  with  more  or  less  success,  usually  less. 

Unique  letter  paper  has  been  used,  and  the 
most  novel  forms  of  printing  matter,  but  as 
there  is  so  much  of  it  sent  out,  originality,  by 
comparison,  has  not  the  value  it  would  have  if 
the  art  of  writing  letters,  and  of  producing 
printed  matter,  had  not  been  carried  to  what 
would  seem  to  be  the  extreme  of  possibility. 

It  is  impossible  to  establish  any  rule,  or  to 
give  any  form  of  letters  of  solicitation,  which 
could  be  guaranteed  to  succeed,  with  so  many 
styles,  forms,  and  schemes  upon  the  market. 

I  would  advise  the  sender  of  letters  of  solici- 
tation to  give  preference  to  the  utmost  sim- 
plicity, providing  it  is  comprehensive. 

It  does  not  pay,  as  a  rule,  to  send  out  blind 
letters,  —  letters  with  only  their  originality  or 
eccentricity  to  recommend  them.  No  matter 
how  wonderfully  they  may  be  prepared,  they 
are  of  no  value  unless  they  are  appreciated  by 
the  receiver. 

The  spending  of  money,  especially  for  buying 
goods  for  trade  purposes,  is  devoid  of  sentiment. 
It  is  cold-blooded  business.  The  buyer  wants 
to  know  what  he  is  going  to  get,  and  whether  or 
not  it  will  pay  him  to  get  it.     Therefore,  plain, 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       85 

clean-cut,  statements  of  facts,  with  advantages 
tabulated  so  as  to  be  grasped  by  the  eye,  as  well 
as  by  the  brain,  are  to  be  recommended. 

The  practice  of  a  blind  or  literary  introduc- 
tion is  not  a  good  business  form. 

The  following  introduction  to  a  letter  is 
merely  a  platitude.  The  writer  of  it  is  simply 
telling  the  receiver  what  he  and  everybody  else 
know: 

What  you  want  is  something  which 
will  work,  —  do  it  effectively  and 
quickly,  and  produce  results. 

Another  objectionable  form  begins  somewhat 
as  follows: 


Your  customer  is  never  satisfied  ex- 
cept with  the  best.  It  does  not  pay  to 
give  him  poor  goods,  or  anything  which 
will  not  please  him  in  the  end.  Noth- 
ing is  too  good  for  the  customer. 

The  foregoing  is  objectionable,  because  it 
stands  for  nothing,  except  that  it  is  a  self- 
evident  truth,  the  correctness  of  which  the  re- 
ceiver accepts  without  argument.  It  does  not 
get  down  to  business. 

It  is  far  better  to  start  in  a  businesslike  man- 
ner, with  an  absonoe  of  any  clause  or  sentence. 


86       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

which,  at  beet,  is  only  filling.  For  example: 
if  you  are  a  manufacturer  of  a  breakfast  food, 
why  not  begin  your  letter  something  as  follows  ? 

We  have  made  it  easy  for  you  to  sell 
Star  Breakfast  Food,  because  we  spend 
$100,000  a  year  advertising  it. 

Or  the  letter  may  open  as  follows: 

Every  woman  in  America  knows  Star 
Breakfast  Food,  because  the  advertise- 
ment of  it  appears  in  150  leading  maga- 
zines and  newspapers. 

Let  us  suppose,  for  example,  that  you  are 
making  safety  razors.  A  good  way  to  begin  a 
letter  is  as  follows: 

The  only  reason  that  75  per  cent  of 
self-shavers  do  not  use  the^  Crescent 
Safety  Razor  is  because  they  do  not 
know  about  it.  We  are  beginning  an 
advertising  campaign  which  will  cover 
the  entire  country.  Enclosed  are  sam- 
ples of  the  advertisements  which  we  are 
sending  out. 

Another  good  way  to  start  a  letter  is  as  fal- 
lows: 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        87 

We  offer  you  a  price  on  the  Sunlight 
Lamp,  which  will  enable  you  to  handle 
it  at  an  extra  profit  Every  lamp  is 
guaranteed  to  give  satisfaction,  and  you 
are  authorized  to  return  the  money  in 
every  case,  and  without  loss  to  you.  We 
stand  back  of  every  lamp.  You  take  no 
chanees. 

Letters  of  solicitation  should  be  as  brief  as 
possible.  If  a  short  description  would  not  suf- 
fice, then  refer  in  your  letter  either  to  the  en- 
closed or  accompanying  printed  matter;  or, 
better,  use  some  expression  like  the  following: 
"  Please  read  marked  paragraphs  on  enclosed 
circular  (or  in  catalogue  mailed)." 

The  marking  of  a  paragraph,  or  paragraphs, 
attracts  the  attention  of  the  reader,  who  may 
become  interested  in  the  marked  paragraphs  or 
section,  and  is  likely  to  read  further.  Do 
everything  you  can  to  assist  the  reader  in  com- 
prehending what  you  have  to  say. 

It  is  obvious  that  certain  buyers  would  be 
more  impressed  witli  some  particular  part  of 
your  descriptive  matter,  than  with  the  catalogue, 
or  circular,  as  a  whole.  Calling  their  attention 
to  these  particular  parts  is  more  likely  to  inter- 
est them  than  if  you  suggest  they  read  your 
catalc^e  in  its  entirety. 

Of  course,  you  know  the  wants  or  demands 


88        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

of  your  trade,  and  it  is  not  difficult  for  you  to 
mark,  or  emphasize,  certain  parts  of  the  de- 
scription which  are  likely  to  appeal  specifically 
to  some  one  class  of  your  customers. 

Do  not  be  afraid  that  they  will  refuse  to  read 
the  whole  if  they  are  interested.  Suggest  to 
them  the  salient  parts  first,  and  they  will  pass 
on  into  fuller  descriptions,  if  what  you  send 
them  appeals  to  them. 

Nothing  facilitates  sales  more  than  anticipa- 
ting the  special  wants  and  desires  of  a  customer. 
Of  course,  intimate  information  is  not  always 
obtainable,  but  if  you  instruct  your  salesmen  to 
question  customers  politely,  and  to  learn  about 
their  characteristics,  and  likes  and  dislikes,  you 
will  be  better  able  to  write  them,  or  send  them, 
matter  which  will  particularly  appeal  to  them. 

Let  us  suppose,  for  example,  you  are  selling 
stoves.  The  same  form  of  letter  would  not  be 
suitable  to  all  of  the  stove  trade.  Every  sec- 
tion has  its  special  requirements,  and  every 
retailer  his  o-^^ti  ideas.  If  you  can  ascertain,  in 
advance,  what  is  acceptable  to  both  the  retailer 
and  to  his  trade,  and  adapt  your  letter  and 
printed  matter  to  those  conditions,  they  will 
receive  an  attention,  which  probably  will  not  be 
given  to  any  set  form  sent  out  to  the  trade  as  a 
whole. 

In  writing  letters  of  solicitation,  attempt  to 
repeat  the  namt  of  the  firm  addressed,  or  the 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing       89 

town,  in  the  body  of  the  letter,  so  it  will  appear 
to  be  specially  and  personally  written  to  that 
firm,  and  not  a  circular  letter. 

Make  it  look  as  though  you  had  written  this 
letter  to  no  one  else.  Very  slight  changes  in 
the  text  can  be  given  to  your  stenographer,  and 
the  list  to  be  sent  to  can  be  divided  into  sections, 
with  slightly  different  forms  to  go  to  each. 

It  is  far  better  to  say,  "  We  believe  these 
stoves  are  especially  adapted  to  Portland  trade," 
than  to  omit  the  name  of  the  city. 

If  you  have  sold  a  large  number  of  stoves  in 
Portland,  it  is  well  to  use  such  an  expression 
as,  "  During  the  last  year,  we  have  shipped  75 
Star  Stoves  to  Portland."  This  makes  the  let- 
ter  personal  and  direct,  and  tiie  appearance  of 
a  circular  letter  is  avoided. 


ORDERING   GOODS 

Irr  writing  out  an  order  for  goods,  unless  you 
use  the  order  blanks  issued  by  the  house  you  are 
addressing,  specify  each  article  by  itaelf,  using 
a  different  paragraph  for  each  and  every  thing 
ordered.     Do  not  write  it  out  as  follows: 

"  Please  send  me  1  doz.  half  lb.  pack- 
ages Jones'  Cocoa ;  3  doz.  pint  cans  of 
Smith's  Baking  Powder,  and  1  gross 
Star  Blueing." 

The  following  form  is  better: 

Please  send  me  (or  please  enter  my 
order  for),  the  following: 

1  doz.  half  lb.  packages  of  Jones' 
Cocoa, 

3  doz.  pint  bottles  of  Smith's  Baking 
Powder, 

1  gross  of  Star  Blueing. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  order,  always  specify 
wken  you  desire  to  hare  the  goods  shipped^  an^ 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        91 

whether  by  mail,  express,  or  freight.  It  is  well 
to  include  the  prices  in  your  letter,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent misunderstanding ;  and  further,  to  reqweet 
that  you  be  notified  if  the  goods  cannot  bo 
shipped  as  you  have  requested. 

If  you  enclose  check,  somewhere  in  your  let- 
ter say,  "  Check  for  $400.00  enclosed."  If  you 
want  them  sent  C.  O,  I).,  so  specify. 

All  orders  should  be  copied. 

When  a  check  is  sent  by  mail,  accompanied 
by  a  bill,  there  is  no  necessity  of  enclosing  a 
letter  stating  that  check  is  sent,  but  some  firms 
prefer  to^  do  this,  and  it  is  certainly  dignified 
and  businesslike. 


ENCLOSTJKES   WITH    LETTERS 

Wheis^eveb  you  enclose  anything  in  a  letter, 
whether  it  be  a  copy  of  another  letter  or  printed 
matter,  mention  it  in  the  body  of  your  letter, 
either  in  the  beginning,  or  near  the  beginning, 
or  at  the  close  of  the  letter.  If  at  the  close,  it 
may  appear  as  the  last  paragraph  in  the  body 
of  the  letter,  or  it  may  be  written  in  the  left- 
hand  comer,  below  the  signature.  Use  some 
expression  like,  "  Catalogue  enclosed "  or 
"  Specifications  enclosed." 

It  is  sometimes  well  to  enclose  in  the  letter 
copies  of  correspondence,  although  it  is  not 
necessary  to  do  so.  But  if  you  enclose  copies, 
be  sure  to  retain  copies.  The  enclosing  of 
copies  of  correspondence  may  facilitate  the 
reply,  because  the  receiver  will  have  before  him 
all  of  the  correspondence  upon  the  subject  and 
will  not  have  to  go  to  the  trouble  of  searching 
the  files. 

The  letter  itself  should  be  farthest  from  the 
address  side  of  the  envelope,  —  that  is,  nearest 
to  the  flap,  because  most  letters  are  opened  with 
the  flap  towards  the  receiver,  and  the  letter  itself 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing        93 

should  be  directly  before  him  when  he  takes  out 
the  contents  of  the  envelope. 

Do  not  enclose  with  a  letter,  as  a  rule,  more 
than  one  piece  of  printed  matter.  If  you  do, 
the  receiver  has  the  right  to  assume  that  every- 
thing sent  him  is  circular  matter. 

It  is  frequently  profitable  to  enclose,  instead 
of  a  circular,  or  with  a  circular,  photographs  or 
reproductions  of  photographs,  of  the  goods  you 
sell.  For  example,  let  us  suppose  that  you  are 
especially  pushing  the  sale  of  some  machine. 
Enclose  with  your  letter  a  photograph  of  the 
machine  or  a  half-tone  reproduction  of  it.  It  is 
well  to  print  under  the  picture  a  brief  explana- 
tion. If  there  is  some  particular  part  of  the 
machine  which  is  new,  indicate  it  with  an  arrow 
pointing  to  the  part,  and,  of  course,  with  an 
explanation  or  description. 

If  the  photograph  or  reproduction  is  a  good 
one,  and  well  illustrates  the  character  of  the 
machine,  or  any  part  of  it,  the  receiver  is  likely 
at  least  to  glance  at  it,  and  to  give  it  an  atten- 
tion which  might  not  occur  if  he  had  \he  full 
catalogue  before  him. 

Of  course,  no  one  photograph  or  reproduction 
can  take  the  place  of  the  catalogue,  but  these 
pictures  may  be  used  to  great  advantage.  Be- 
cause of  their  isolation,  they  bring  some  par- 
ticular point  strongly  before  the  receiver. 

A  series  of  photographs  could  be  taken  to 


94        The  Ai-t  of  Letter  Writing 

advantage,  and  one  or  more  sent  with  each  let- 
ter. But  do  not  send  illustrations  of  anything 
which  cannot  be  properly  portrayed  in  a  pic- 
ture. Unless  a  picture  of  a  thing  gives  the 
receirer  an  intelligent  idea  of  what  it  is,  there 
is  no  use  in  sending  it.  Illustrations  should 
illustrate,  or  not  be  used. 

If  it  is  advisable  to  send  more  than  two  or 
three  pictures,  it  is  well  to  place  a  piece  of  tape 
Dr  band  around  them,  or  enclose  them  in  a  sort 
of  paper  portfolio.  This  scheme  is  to  be  highly 
recommended  and  will  enable  you  to  send  more 
photographs  than  you  could  properly  enclose 
loose  in  an  envelope. 

Tfie  half-tone  process  of  engraving  has  be- 
come so  extremely  effective  that  any  clear  photo- 
graph can  be  reproduced  at  a  very  small  ex- 
pense, and  the  reproduction  be  nearly  as  good 
as  the  original.  Everything  depends  upon  the 
photograph  itself.  It  should  be  taken  by  a  com- 
petent photographer,  and  at  an  angle  which  will 
^ow  the  object  to  the  best  advantage.  Further, 
lie  photographer  should  understand  that  he  is 
working  for  a  reproduction,  that  he  may  govern 
himself  accordingly. 

If,  for  any  reason,  it  is  difficult  to  get  a  good 
photograph,  an  artist  can,  with  his  pen,  em- 
pihasize  certain  points  upon  the  pht^graph  it- 
self, a  reproduction  to  be  made  from  the  so- 
oalled  "  doctored  "  photograph.     It  is  obvious, 


The  Art  of  Letter  WriUfig       95 

however,  that  these  changes  or  additions  must 
be  true  to  life,  with  no  attempt  to  deceive;  for 
deception,  in  this  direction,  will  act  like  a  boom- 
erang to  the  sender. 

Half-tone  engravings  should  be  printed  upon 
what  is  known  as  coated  paper,  or  some  pap^* 
with  a  very  hard  and  smooth  surface. 

A  very  artistic  effect  is  produced  by  making 
a  solid  block  of  metal,  about  one  eighth  or  more 
of  an  inch  larger  all  around  than  the  photo- 
graph, and  with  this  block  printing  a  light  yel- 
low tint,  upon  which  the  engraving  itself  is 
printed.  This  throws  the  picture  into  relief, 
and  gives  it  a  much  more  artistic  appearance, 
in  no  way  interfering  with  the  illustration  itself. 

The  business  man  cannot  too  fully  realize  the 
advantage  of  making  but  one  strong  point  at  a 
time  in  a  letter  of  solicitation. 

No  letter,  circular  or  otherwise,  should  con- 
tain a  full  description,  if  a  long  description  is 
necessary  for  a  full  explanation,  unless  it  is 
sent  to  employees.  Full,  technical  descriptions 
belong  to  the  catalogue. 

The  circular  letter,  or  letter  of  solicitation, 
is  merely  a  forerunner,  or  is  a  sort  of  written 
bait,  cast  into  the  waters  of  trade  with  the  hope 
that  somebody  somewhere  will  either  snap  at 
it  or  swallow  it. 

If  an  attempt  is  made  to  cover  the  groimd 
completely,  the  contents  of  the  letter  will  spill 


96        The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

over,  so  to  speak,  and  the  greater  part  of  its 
effectiveness  will  be  lost. 

Give  the  receiver  only  what  he  will  read  or 
take. 

This  applies  to  all  advertising  matter,  and 
particularly  to  circular  letters  or  letters  of  so- 
licitation. 


SEIvrDi:N'G    MONEY    BY    MAIL 

Money,  either  bills  or  coins,  should  not  be 
sent  in  other  than  registered  letters.  If  coins 
are  enclosed,  they  should  be  placed  in  a  paste- 
board coin-holder.  Otherwise,  they  are  likely 
to  force  their  way  through  the  envelope. 

Postal  and  express  money-orders  are  inex- 
pensive, and  checks  or  drafts  on  New  York 
City,  or  on  other  large  cities,  are  easily  pro- 
curable. Checks  on  banks  located  in  small 
towns  should  not  be  sent  to  a  distant  place,  as 
a  fee  may  be  charged  for  collection.  All  local 
banks  issue  drafts  payable  in  the  large  cities. 


ACKNOWLEDGING    THE    RECEIPT 
OF   MONEY 

Common  custxjm  does  not  require  that  a  letter 
accompany  a  receipted  bill,  but  the  majority  of 
first-class  business  houses,  return  the  receipted 
bill  with  a  letter  acknowledging  its  payment, 
or  use  a  neatly  printed  or  engraved  card,  read- 
ing somewhat  as  follows: 

We  acknowledge,  with  thanks,  the  re- 
ceipt of  your  esteemed  remittance. 


LETTERS  TO  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES 

Letters  directed  to  residents  abroad,  who 
are  not  Americans,  need  not  materially  differ  in 
form  from  those  written  to  those  living,  or  doing 
business,  in  this  country,  —  except  that  rather 
more  care  should  be  taken  with  them,  and  the 
writer  should  avoid  using  any  English  idiom, 
or  current  phrase,  which,  although  well  under- 
stood by  Americans,  might  not  be  comprehended 
abroad. 

Then,  letters  to  foreign  countries  should  be 
even  more  explicit  and  of  the  greatest  simplicity. 
They  may  be  written  in  English,  or  translated ; 
but  in  translating,  the  changing  of  English  into 
another  language  should  be  done  by  one  not  only 
familiar  with  English,  but  equally  so  with  the 
language  into  which  he  is  to  translate  the  letter. 

As  a  rule,  one  speaking  the  English  lan- 
guage, no  matter  how  well  educated  in  foreign 
languages,  is  not  likely  to  be  able  to  translate 
English  so  that  it  will  be  understood  by  the 
foreigner,  unless  he  has  lived  long  enough 
abroad  to  think,  as  well  as  to  write,  in  a  tongue 
other  than  his  native  one. 


100      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Many  a  writer  is  conceited  enough  to  believe 
that  his  knowledge  of  a  foreign  language  is 
sufficient  to  justify  him  in  translating  English 
into  another  tongue.  It  is  better,  and  safer,  to 
employ  a  professional  translator,  and  particu- 
larly one  versed  in  technical  and  business 
phraseology. 

Thousands  of  letters  have  been  sent  abroad 
to  the  injury  of  their  writers,  simply  because 
they  were  not  properly  translated. 

Unless  you  are  sure  that  you  can  translate, 
get  some  one  to  do  it  for  you ;  or  else  send  your 
letters  in  English,  to  be  trajislated  by  the  re- 
ceivers. 

Business  houses  in  English-speaking  coun- 
tries, other  than  the  United  States,  invariably 
precede  a  company,  or  firm,  name  witli 
"  Messrs."  They  are  rather  more  formal  in 
closing,  and  use  such  expressions  as  "  I  am, 
Your  most  obedient  servant,"  or  "  Your  most 
obedient  servant,"  or  "  I  am,  with  respect, 
Obediently  yours." 

There  is,  however,  no  objection  to  preserving 
the  regular  American  style,  instead  of  attempt- 
ing to  copy  that  of  other  countries,  for  "  being 
yourself  "  is  to  be  preferred. 


COPYING   LETTERS 

Every  business  letter,  whether  of  importance 
or  not,  should  be  copied,  either  by  making  a 
carbon  of  it,  or  by  running  it  through  a  copying 
press. 

It  is  obvious  that  a  proportion  of  letters  are 
of  no  particular  consequence,  but  unless  you 
establish  a  rule  of  copying  everything,  an  im- 
portant letter  is  likely  to  go  out  without  any 
record  being  made  of  it. 

The  best  method  of  copying  is  to  use  carbons ; 
that  is,  insert  a  carbon  sheet  between  your  letter 
paper  and  the  blank  sheet  which  is  to  serve  as 
copy.  But  copies  cannot  be  made  this  way  of 
letters  written  with  other  than  the  typewriter, 
pencil,  or  indelible  pencil. 

Pen  writing  will  not  produce  a  carbon  copy. 

Letters  may  be  copied  by  the  moistening  proc- 
ess and  the  use  of  a  copying  press,  provided 
you  write  with  copying  ink  or  have  a  copying 
ribbon  in  the  typewriter. 

So-called  record  typewriter  ribbons  and  or- 
dinary ink  will  not  copy. 

The  carbon  process  is  preferable,  because  it 


102      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

saves  time,  and  because  it  does  not  blur  the 
letter.  It  is  practically  impossible  to  copy  a 
letter  by  the  moistening  process  without  blur- 
ring it. 

Social  letters,  as  a  rule,  need  not  be  copied, 
and  as  most  of  them  are  written  with  a  pen,  it 
is  difficult  to  do  so  without  the  letter  showing 
that  it  has  been  copied.  If  a  social  letter  is  of 
importance,  write  out  a  duplicate  of  it* 


LETTERS    OF    APPLICATION    FOR    A 
POSITION 

AccuEiLTE  statistics  are  impoasible,  but  ob- 
servation indicates  that  fully  one  half  of  all 
positions  or  jobs,  other  than  those  of  the  lowest 
grade,  are  obtained  wholly,  or  in  part,  by  writ- 
ten application. 

Some  employers  require  a  letter  of  applica- 
tion even  from  thc^e  who  apply  personally  for 
a  position. 

For  my  clients,  and  for  myself,  also,  but 
largely  for  others,  I  have  received  many  thou- 
sands of  applications  by  mail;  and  these  ex- 
peri^ices  appear  to  substantiate  the  opinion  that 
less  than  five  per  cent  of  men  and  women  in 
business,  or  out  of  work,  have  little  conception 
of  what  constitutes  a  proper  form  of  letter  of 
application. 

Most  of  the  letters  of  application  are  stilted 
in  style,  altogether  too  conventional,  and  not  one 
writer  in  ten  properly  describes  himself,  tells 
what  he  has  done,  and  what  he  thinks  he  can  do. 

An  advertisement  in  the  "  Help  Wanted " 
columns  of  a  newspaper  brings  in  from  a  dozen 
to  even  several  thousand  replies.     The  reader 


104      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

of  these  letters,  —  the  employer  himself,  or  one 
of  his  assistants,  —  naturally  turns  down  those 
which  do  not  instantly  appeal  to  him,  snd  re- 
quests the  presence  of  only  those  who  have  writ- 
ten something  different  from  the  expressions 
used  by  the  rank  and  file. 

Take  a  thousand  letters  of  application,  for 
example,  and  more  than  nine  hundred  of  them 
are  either  faultily  expressed,  or  are  so  similar 
to  the  others,  that  it  is  difficult  for  the  receiver 
to  make  a  choice. 

While  all  erratic  and  overoriginal  expressions 
should  be  avoided,  and  while  one  should  get 
do^vn  to  business  in  the  simplest  possible  way, 
it  is  obvious  that  effort  should  be  made  to  pre- 
sent one's  self  in  other  than  the  stilted  and  con- 
ventional form  of  the  usual  letter  of  application. 

The  applicant  must  consider  himself  as  a 
commodity,  —  both  his  ability  and  his  experi- 
ence being  for  sale,  —  and,  therefore,  he  should 
write  about  himself  as  he  would  of  any  line  of 
goods  for  which  he  wants  to  find  a  purchaser. 

He  has  two  distinct  points  to  make:  first, 
what  he  has  actually  accomplished;  and,  sec- 
ondly, what  he  thinks  he  can  accomplish  if  given 
an  opportunity.  These  are  his  assets,  —  his 
stock  in  trade,  —  and  he  should  present  them 
as  he  would  any  material  goods  which  he  may 
have  for  sale. 

I  do  not  propose  to  present  definite  rules,  be- 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      105 

cause  there  are  none ;   but  instead  I  will  make  a 
few  suggestions. 

1.  Be  as  brief  as  is  consistent  with  making 
a  full  presentation  of  your  qualifications. 

2.  Brevity  is  to  be  commended,  but  it  is 
more  profitable  to  use  too  many  words  than  to 
sacrifice  any  part  of  what  you  should  tell  about 
yourself  for  the  sake  of  brevity  alone.  Your 
letter  should  give  the  receiver  an  intelligent 
idea  of  who  and  what  you  are,  or  what  you  have 
done  and  want  to  do.  The  business  man,  flooded 
with  applications,  will  naturally  read  a  brief, 
yet  comprehensive,  letter,  and  give  it  preference 
over  those  filled  with  superfluous  words  or 
flowery  expressions;  but  remember  that  he 
wants  to  know  what  you  are  good  for,  and  you 
must  tell  him,  even  though  your  letter  occupies 
more  than  a  page. 

3.  One  of  the  best  ways  to  proceed  is  to  de- 
scribe yourself  fully,  without  any  attempt  at 
brevity,  then  rewrite  your  letter,  omitting  all 
superfluous  and  useless  words,  bringing  it  down 
to  the  smallest  comprehensible  size. 

4.  It  is  better  to  have  paragraphs  in  your 
letter,  in  preference  to  making  it  look  solid.  It 
is  easier  to  read  a  letter  with  frequent  para- 
graphs. 

Do  not  have  more  than  one  subject,  or  make 
more  than  one  point,  in  a  paragraph. 

5.  In  replying  to  an  advertisement,  be  sure 


106      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

to  answer  all  of  the  particulars  mentioned  in 
the  advertisement.  The  advertiser  would  not 
specify  qualifications  or  conditions,  if  he  did 
not  desire  an  answer  to  all  of  them.  Anj  omis- 
sion will  prejudice  him  against  you.  It  is  not 
always  advisable  to  limit  your  reply  to  answers 
to  the  questions  appearing  in  the  advertisement. 
If  there  is  more  to  say  about  yourself,  present 
it;  but  do  not  write  in  your  letter  anything 
which  would  appear  to  be  of  no  interest  to  the 
receiver. 

6.  It  is  well  invariably  to  add  a  paragraph 
to  the  effect  that  you  would  like  an  interview. 
If  you  are  engaged,  and  cannot  call  except  at  a 
certain  time,  be  sure  to  specify  it.  If  you  can 
be  reached  by  telephone,  always  give  your  tele- 
phone number. 

7.  Avoid  extravagant  adjectives  and  expres- 
sions, and  make  all  of  your  statem«its  those  of 
facts. 

8.  Under  no  circumstances  use  flowery  sen- 
tences, or  be  too  intimate  in  your  letter.  Briefly 
state  facts  about  yourself,  and  let  each  state- 
ment stand  by  itself. 

9.  Every  letter  should  start  with  a  date  line, 
like 

Boston,  Mass.,  Jan.   1,  1913. 
The  foregoing  can  be  placed  at  the  bottom  of 
the  letter,  but  it  is  better  to  have  it  appear  at  the 
top. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      107 

10.  Your  street,  office,  or  residence  address 
may  appear  above  the  date  line  at  the  beginning 
of  the  letter,  but  it  is  advisable  to  vs^rite  it  at  the 
close. 

11.  If  you  are  addressing  a  firm,  like  "  John 
Smith  &  Co.,"  or  a  corporation,  like  "  Smith 
^Manufacturing  Co.,"  the  following  form  should 
be  used : 

Smith  Manufacturing  Co., 
New  York  City. 
Gentlemen : 

The  term  "  Dear  Sirs  "  may  be  used  instead 
of  "  Gentlemen,"  but  "  Gentlemen  "  is  prefer- 
able. 

12.  Never  begin  a  letter  with  "  Sir,"  unless 
you  are  addressing  a  United  States  Government 
official,  in  which  case  "  Sir "  must  be  used. 
Say  "Dear  Sir"  or  "Dear  Madam."  The 
term  "  Dear  Madam  "  applies  to  single  as  well 
as  to  married  women.  "  Dear  Miss  "  is  bad 
form.  Close  your  letter  with  "  Respectfully 
yours,"  or  "  Yours  respectfully,"  or  "  Yours 
truly,"  or  "  Very  truly  yours ; "  the  two 
former  are  preferable.  Never  write  "  Sincerely 
yours,"  or  "  Yours  sincerely,"  unless  you  are 
addressing  a  personal  friend. 

13.  Your  signature  should  be  plainly  written, 
and  do  not  sign  your  name  "  J.  T.  Smidi,"  but 
"  Jokn  T.  Smith."     If  you  have  an  unusual 


108      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

name,  like  "  Adolphus  K.  Coleblast,"  be  very 
particular  to  write  it  with  the  utmost  legibility. 
If  your  name  is  "  John  Milton  Tennyson,"  it 
is  bad  form  to  sign  your  name  in  full,  and  it 
looks  like  affectation ;  just  write  it  "  John  M. 
Tennyson." 

14.  Whenever  possible,  use  the  typewriter, 
unless  applying  for  a  position  of  book-keeper 
or  for  one  where  the  quality  of  handwriting  is 
essential;  but  even  in  this  case,  it  would  be 
better  to  write  your  letter  on  the  typewriter, 
and  to  enclose  a  few  sentences  showing  your 
handwriting,  referring  to  these  sentences  in 
your  letter,  in  an  expression  such  as,  "  Sample 
of  handwriting  enclosed." 

15.  It  is  well  to  repeat  your  name,  type- 
written, as  follows: 

John  T.  Smith, 
100  Beacon  St., 
Boston,  Mass. 
Telephone,  Main  406. 

I  would  suggest  that  you  go  even  further, 
and  give  both  addresses,  somewhat  as  follows: 

John  T.  Smith, 
Office,  18  Broad  St, 
Boston,  Mass. 
Telephone,  Main  206. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      109 

Residence,  307  Mills  St., 
Allston,  Mass. 
Telephone,  Allston  607. 

If  you  have  no  telephone  number,  give  the 
name  of  the  nearest  pay-station  from  which  a 
messenger  can  be  sent  to  you. 

16.  Be  particular  with  your  numerals;  they 
should  be  very  clearly  written. 

17.  It  is  well  to  keep  a  copy  of  every  letter 
sent  out.  If  the  same  letter  is  sent  to  several 
persons,  one  copy  is  sufficient ;  but  write  the 
name  and  address  of  each  person  to  whom  the 
letter  is  sent  upon  the  copy  or  upon  the  back 
of  it. 

18.  Avoid  wrong  spelling.  Unless  you  are 
sure  of  the  word,  look  it  up  in  the  dictionary. 
While  many  business  men  are  bad  spellers, 
they  may  detect  misspelled  words.  Misspelled 
words  are  sure  to  be  detrimental  to  your 
chances. 

19.  Punctuation  is  essential.  If  you  do  not 
know  how  to  punctuate,  learn  how.  Good 
punctuation  makes  your  letter  more  legible. 

20.  Strenuously  avoid  all  stereotyped  and 
overused  expressions,  such  as  "  I  take  my  pen 
in  hand,"  or  "  Having  seen  your  advertisement, 
I  thought  I  would  write." 

21.  Never  use  an  expression  like  "  I  know 
that  I  am  competent,"  or  "  I  am  sure  I  can  fill 


no      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

the  position."  You  cannot  possibly  know  in  ad- 
vance, and  any  such  statement  shows  your  ig- 
norance or  egotism. 

22.  Never  use  a  poor,  faded,  or  colored  ink. 
Only  black  and  blue-black  are  permissible.  Do 
not  pour  water  in  your  ink-stand.  Good  ink 
cannot  be  procured  that  way.  G^  a  fresh  bot- 
tle. You  cannot  be  too  particular  about  little 
things. 

23.  Use  a  pen  adapted  to  your  style  of  hand- 
writing. 

24.  Be  careful  of  your  letter  paper.  Have  it 
clean  and  fresh.  Never  use  a  scrap  of  paper 
or  torn  sheet,  nor  an  envelope  which  does  not 
match  the  paper.  It  is  better  to  use  white,  un- 
ruled paper,  than  any  color  or  tint,  and  of  a 
size  known  as  half-sheet,  which  is  about  eight 
and  a  half  inches  from  right  to  left  and  eleven 
inches  from  top  to  bottom.  A  full  sheet  is  a 
folded  sheet,-  and  folded  sheets  are  not  in  good 
form  commercially. 

25.  While  social  paper  is  permissible  for  a 
woman  to  use,  if  you  are  applying  for  a  com- 
mercial position,  give  commercial  paper  the 
preference. 

26.  Write  only  upon  one  side  of  the  sheet. 
If  it  is  necessary  to  use  more  than  one  sheet, 
number  them  "  2,"  "  3,"  "  4,"  etc. 

27.  If  you  have  stationery  of  your  own,  with 
your  name  and  address  printed  upon  it,  by  all 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      111 

means  give  this  paper  the  preference,  provided 
it  is  of  suitable  size. 

28.  Under  no  circumstances  use  hotel  sta- 
tionery, but  club  letter  paper  is  permissible. 
Many  business  men  refuse  to  read  a  letter  of 
application  written  upon  a  hotel  letter-head, 
which  may  indicate  that  the  writer  is  without 
permanent  position  or  home. 

29.  There  is  no  objection  to  using  letter  paper 
of  the  firm  you  are  connected  with,  provided 
your  relations  with  them  are  satisfactory.  But 
I  would  suggest  a  preference  to  plain  paper,  un- 
less you  have  a  letter-head  of  your  own.  Avoid 
the  use  of  any  lett«r-head  relating  to  the  liquor, 
pool,  or  sporting  business,  unless  you  are  apply- 
ing for  that  kind  of  a  position. 

30.  I  strongly  advise  against  the  presentation 
of  a  secret  address,  or  post  office  box,  or  of  sig- 
nature by  initials  only.  Such  action  arouses 
suspicion. 

31.  Place  the  stamp  on  the  envelope  on  the 
upper  right-hand  corner,  top  up,  and  stick  it 
on  straight.  Never  stick  a  stamp  for  a  reply 
on  your  letter  paper.  Better  enclose  a  stamped, 
addressed  envelope.  As  a  rule,  however,  there 
is  no  necessity  of  enclosing  a  stamp  for  a  reply, 
but  there  is  no  objection  to  enclosing  an  un- 
stamped, addressed  envelope.  Be  sure  that 
your  stamp  is  securely  affixed  to  the  envelope, 
for  stamps  often  drop  off. 


112      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

32.  If  you  enclose  written  references,  and 
desire  to  have  them  returned,  an  addressed, 
stamped  envelope  should  accompany  them,  with 
the  request  that  they  be  returned  to  you. 

33.  Kever  write  a  letter  of  application  in  a 
hurry.    Take  plenty  of  time. 

34.  Read  your  letter  carefully;  better  read 
it  two  or  three  times  before  you  send  it. 

35.  Avoid  all  appearance  of  egoism,  and 
never  overstate  your  qualifications.  While  you 
should  give  the  appearance  of  modesty,  do  not 
be  overmodest,  and  refuse  to  present  proper 
self-respect.  Your  services  are  for  sale,  and 
you  should  write  your  qualifications  to  the  best 
advantage. 

36.  It  is  always  advisable  to  give  references, 
even  though  they  are  not  asked  for.  Do  not 
bunch  your  references  together.  Let  each  oc- 
cupy a  paragraph,  and  precede  them  with  some 
expression  like  "  I  refer  to."  If  you  are  apply- 
ing for  a  business  position,  the  majority  of 
references  should  be  those  from  business  men 
and  houses.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  are  ad- 
dressing a  professional  man,  professional  refer- 
ences may  be  preferred,  but  add  one  or  two 
references  from  business  men. 

37.  It  is  well  to  enclose  copies  of  written 
references,  in  which  case,  at  the  top  of  each  let- 
ter, you  should  write  the  word  "  Copy."  Orig- 
inal letters  of  reference  should  not  be  enclosed, 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      113 

as  they  may  be  lost,  unless  they  are  personally 
addressed  to  the  one  to  whom  you  are  applying. 

38.  If  you  are  replying  to  advertisements  for 
"  Help  Wanted,"  make  an  effort  to  obtain  the 
earliest  edition  of  the  paper,  even  if  you  have 
to  get  out  of  bed  at  5  a.  m.  to  do  so.  Answer  the 
advertisement  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 
It  might  be  well  for  you  to  have  several  letters 
written,  so  as  to  save  time,  leaving  space  for  the 
filling  in  of  name  and  address.  Carry  your 
letter  to  the  newspaper  office,  or  mail  it  so  as 
to  catch  the  earliest  mail.  The  early  applicant 
has  the  advantage  over  those  whose  letters  arrive 
later. 

39.  Specify  your  qualifications,  each  by  it- 
self, and  each  in  a  paragraph  by  itself,  and  give 
definite  information.  If  you  are  a  stenog- 
rapher, be  sure  to  state  your  rate  of  speed  and 
the  machine  you  use,  unless  you  can  manipulate 
all  machines.  Under  no  circumstances  say  you 
can  take  ordinary  dictation,  for  that  means  noth- ' 
ing.  The  term  "  ordinary  "  is  altogether  too 
ambiguous.  State  specifically  the  number  of 
words  you  can  write  per  minute,  and  whether 
or  not  you  can  accurately  read  your  notes.  If 
you  do  not  know  your  speed,  find  out  what  it  is. 
If  you  are  applying  for  a  factory  job,  give 
specifically  your  experience,  and  under  no  cir- 
cumstances speak  of  your  qualifications  in  gen- 
eral terms.    Do  this^  even  though  the  advertise- 


114      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

ment  may  not  ask  for  definite  information.  If 
you  are  applying  for  the  position  of  salesman, 
enumerate  briefly  the  positions  you  have  occu- 
pied and  the  lines  of  goods  you  have  sold,  when, 
and  where. 

40.  Always  state  whether  or  not  you  are  mar- 
ried, unless  you  sign  your  name  with  a  "  Miss," 
in  which  case  it  should  be  signed  as  follows: 
"  (Miss)  Jennie  T.  Smith."  Information 
about  your  family  may  be  given ;  for  example, 
state  whether  or  not  you  live  at  home. 

41.  While  the  majority  of  positions  do  not 
require  the  holders  to  be  under  bond,  there  is  no 
objection  to  stating  that  you  can  give  bonds, 
unless  the  position  applied  for  is  purely  clerical. 

42.  Unless  you  are  applying  for  the  position 
of  servant,  chauffeur,  engineer,  janitor,  etc.,  it 
is  well  to  avoid  any  expression  like,  "  Strictly 
temperate,"  "  Do  not  smoke,"  etc.  And  there  is 
no  need  of  saying  that  you  are  thoroughly  reli- 
able, because  the  statement  by  itself  is  without 
evidence. 

43.  If  you  have  had  little  business  experi- 
ence, frankly  admit  it,  if  you  are  seeking  a  busi- 
ness position. 

44.  Always  state  what  kind  of  education  you 
have  enjoyed,  and  give  the  name  of  the  last 
school  you  attended  or  graduated  from.  If  you 
are  a  college  man,  or  have  been  educated  at 
some  high  institution  of  learning,  give  the  name 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      115 

of  the  college  or  school,  and  date  of  graduation ; 
like  "  Harvard,  '92."  But  if  your  reputation 
is  established,  mention  of  your  educational 
qualifications  need  not  be  made. 

45.  If  you  are  occupying  a  position,  always 
state  frankly  why  you  desire  to  make  a  change, 
provided  you  say  nothing  detrimental  of  your 
employer. 

46.  If  you  are  out  of  work,  and  have  been 
previously  engaged,  do  not  make  any  effort  to 
cover  up  your  record.  It  is  sure  to  come  out, 
sooner  or  later. 

47.  Give  the  lowest  salary  that  you  will  start 
with,  if  the  advertisement  so  requests.  But  you 
need  not  give  this  information,  if  it  is  not  asked 
for. 

48.  When  answering  an  advertisement,  you 
may  begin  your  letter  with  some  expression 
like,  "  In  answer  to  your  advertisement  in  the 
Herald,"  but  do  not  use  the  conventional  forms 
which  are  commonly  written,  and  read  some- 
what as  follows :  "  Looking  over  the  Herald  this 
morning,  I  chanced  to  see  your  advertisement," 
or  "  I  notice  that  you  are  advertising  in  the 
Herald  for  a ."  You  should  not  do  any- 
thing by  chanc«.  If  you  are  looking  for  a  posi- 
tion, it  is  to  be  supposed  you  are  following  the 
"  want "  advertisements.  Further,  it  is  of  no 
consequence  to  the  advertiser  whether  or  not 
your  letter  is  the  result  of  his  advertisement,  or 


116      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

because  you  heard  of  the  vacancy  in  some  other 
way.  All  unnecessary  words  and  expressions 
should  be  avoided.  A  letter  of  application  will 
receive  more  attention  if  it  gives  the  applicant's 
qualifications  without  the  addition  of  meaning- 
lees  words  or  expressions.  Openings  like  "  I 
desire  to  become  an  applicant,"  or  "  I  would 
respectfiilly  apply  for  the  position,"  have  little 
value.  It  is  self-evident  that  you  are  an  ap- 
plicant, or  you  would  not  have  made  application. 

49.  I  have  read  probably  20,000  letters  of 
application,  and  the  majority  of  them  begin 
somewhat  as  follows:  "  Seeing  your  advertise- 
ment in  the  '  World '  of  to-day,  would  say  that 
I  am  competent  for  the  position  offered."  This 
antagonizes  the  receiver,  and  the  letter  imme- 
diately goes  into  the  waste-basket.  It  is  far  bet- 
ter to  say,  "  I  am  a  stenographer  of  ten  years' 
experience,"  than  it  is  to  write,  "  I  am  an  ex- 
perienced stenographer." 

50.  Never  use  an  expression  like  "  I  wish  to 
state,"  or  "  I  beg  to  state,"  or  "  I  would  say," 
or  "  I  take  the  liberty  of  saying."  Start  in  at 
business,  as :  "I  have  had  six  years'  experience 
as  a  stenographer,  can  write  130  words  a 
minute,  and  can  read  every  one  of  my  notes  99 
times  out  of  a  hundred." 

51.  I  present  the  following  forms  of  appli- 
cation which  are  adaptable  to  practically  all  of 
the  conditions : 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      117 

Six  years'  experience  as  stenographer  in 

law  business. 
Head  stenographer  for  last  two  years. 
Can   take    150    words    a   minute,    and 

guarantee  my  notes. 
Graduate   of   Brookline   High    School, 

1907;    best  speller  in  class. 
Live  with  parents. 
Refer  to . 

Stenographer : 

Three  years  with  Smith  &  Jones,  whole- 
sale grocers,  44  Broad  Street ;  left  be- 
cause firm  failed. 

Two  years  with  First  I^ational  Bank; 
was  dropped  because  men  supplanted 
women. 

Write  125  words  a  minute;  can  read 
my  notes. 

Graduated  from  Girls'  High  School, 
1908,  and  from  Smith's  Commercial 
School,  1909. 

Age,  24. 

Parents  live  in  Fall  River,  and  I  board 
with  friends  in  Chelsea. 

I  refer  to   

Stenographer  (male). 
Six  years'  experience. 
One  year  in  bank ;  it  oonaolidated. 


118      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Two  years  in  lawyer's  oflBce ;  he  retired. 

Two  years  in  woolen  house ;   it  failed. 

One  year  in  railroad  office;  no  oppor- 
tunity. 

Write  140  words  a  minute ;  sure  of  my 
notes. 

Age,  26 ;  married,  one  child. 

Graduated  from  Hyde  Park  High 
School,  1905. 

Graduated  from  American  Commercial 
College,  1906. 

Can  hold  my  present  position  indef- 
initely. 

Want  more  opportunity. 

Can  furnish  bonds. 

Salary  wanted,  $20.00. 

High-grade  references. 

Refer  to 


There  is  no  objection  to,  but  no  advantage  wn, 
writing  a  letter  in  the  third  person,  somewhat 
as  follows: 

The  writer  was  for  four  years  a  stenog- 
rapher at  Jones'  Department  Store. 

For  last  year  he  was  Private  Secretary 
to  President  Jones. 

Death  of  the  President  ca^iae  of  his 
leaving. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writmg      119 

He  can  ^rite  140  words  a  minute,  and 
is  sure  of  his  notes. 

Graduate  of  Welles  College,  1901. 

Graduated  from  Northern  College,  sec- 
retarial course,  ld03. 

Age  30. 

Salary,  $18. 

Refer  to > 


The  following  form  is  to  be  recommended 


For  five  years  chauffeur  for  John  T. 
Smith,  President  of  Smith  Manufac- 
turing Co. 

Graduate  of  Crescent  Automobile 
School. 

President  Smith  has  moved  to  Omaha. 

Have  driven  Packard,  Peerless,  and 
Cadillac  cars. 

Made  three  trips,  averaging  3,300  miles. 

Can  make  ordinary  repairs. 

Age  29  ;   married,  two  children. 

Refer  to   


A  very  effective  method  of  obtaining  a  posi- 
tion is  to  have  your  application  set  in  type,  and 
printed  in  the  center  of  a  commercial  letter 


120      The  AH  of  Letter  Writing 

sheet.  The  type  measure  should  not  exceed  two 
and  a  half  inches,  so  that  there  may  be  a  wide 
mar^n  all  around  it,  or  it  may  be  in  the  center 
of  a  card  of  a  size  which  will  go  into  an  ordinary 
commercial  envelope.  It  should  invariably  be 
sent  under  seal. 

This  form  may  be  used  for  answering  an 
advertisement,  or  can  be  sent  out  promiscuously. 
For  example,  let  us  suppose  you  desire  to  be- 
come a  salesman  for  a  wholesale  house.  It 
would  probably  be  profitable  for  you  to  send 
one  of  these  printed  notices  to  the  leading 
houses  in  the  line  you  are  familiar  with,  but, 
if  possible,  address  it  to  some  officer  of  the  firm, 
like,  "  John  T.  Smith,  President,  Smith  Manu- 
facturing Co.,"  instead  of  to  "  Smith  Manu- 
facturing Co." 

The  printed  notice  need  not  be  accompanied 
by  a  letter. 

It  is  obvious,  of  course,  that  a  majority  of 
the  firms  addressed  may  have  no  opening,  but 
if  you  send  to  as  many  as  a  hundred,  the 
chances  are  that  at  least  five  of  them  have  a 
vacancy,  and  a  number  of  the  others  might  file 
your  card  for  future  reference. 

A  printed  notice  like  this  is  unique,  shows 
enterprise,  is  easier  to  read  than  is  a  letter,  and 
is  preeminently  businesslike. 

I    give    a    few    forms    on    the    following 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      121 

Do  You 

Want  a 
Salesman? 

For  eight  years  successfully  sold  alioes 
in    New    England    and    New    York 

State. 

Can  retain  present  position  with  prom- 
ise of  increase  in  salary. 

Desire  to  leave  because  of  change  of 
management  and  policy. 

Business  has  reorganized. 

Present  salary,  $40.  a  week. 

35  years  old. 

Have  a  wife  and  three  children. 

Own  my  home. 

Highest  grade  of  hank  and  mercantile 
references. 

Can  give  bonds. 

Address 


122     The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Do  You 
Want  a 
Book-keeper? 

For  three  years  head  book-keeper  m 
retail  clothing  store. 

Finn  failed. 

Can  handle  any  set  of  boc^s. 

Want  $18.00  a  week. 

24  years  old;  unmarried,  live  with 
par«its. 

Graduated  from  Worcester  High  Sdiool, 
1907. 

Desire  to  make  change  on  account  of 
lack  of  prospects. 

Can  leave  with  good-will  of  house  I  am 
working  for. 

Refer  to  Mr.  John  T.  Smith,  Cashier, 
Second  National  Bank ;  Mr.  William 
Jone^,  President,  Jones  Manufactur- 
ing Co.,  88  West  Street,  Boston, 
Mass. ;  Mr.  Karl  R.  White,  retired, 
Hingham,  Mass. ;  Mr.  Robert  T. 
Black,  Editor,  Tribune;  and  to 
present  employ)^. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      123 

The  following  is  long,  but  is  justifiable,  be- 
cause every  paragraph  gives  information. 


I  Want 
A  Job 


19  years  old. 

Graduate  of  Springfield  High  School, 

1911. 
Studied  book-keeping  at  evening  school 

for  one  year. 
Have  had  no  business  experience. 
Want  a  position   with  opportunity  to 

learn  business. 
Prefer  to  be  in  office  of  wholesale  or 

manufacturing  house. 
Would  not  care  to  take  up  book-keep- 
ing  or    clerical   work,    except   as    a 

means  to  an  end. 
Preference  in  favor  of  the  active  side  of 

business,  selling  in  particular. 
Salary  at  start  of  no  consequence. 
Live  with  parents. 


124      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

For  integrity  and  standing,  refer  to 
Hon.,  John  T.  Smith,  77  White  St, 
Allston,  Mass. ;  Mr.  William  R. 
Jones,  President,  Jones  Manufactur- 
ing Co.,  97  Water  St.,  Boston;  Dr. 
George  T.  White,  Superintendent  of 
Schools,  Hyde  Park,  Mass. 


The  following  form  of  printed  application  is 
likely  to  be  profitable: 

What  I 
Can  do 
For  Sale 

I  can  sell  goods. 

If  you  don't  want  to  see  me  now,  file  me 
for  reference. 


The  appended  forms  of  application  may  be 
printed  on  a  postal  card,  but  it  is  better  to  mail 
them  under  seal: 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      125 


Experience 
For  Sale 


What  I  know  about  selling  furniture  at 
retail  is  jours  if  you  want  me. 


I  know 
How  to 
Keep  books 


10  years'  experience. 
If  firm  hadn't  failed,  I  would  not  be  out 
of  a  job. 


I  present  a  few  additional  forma,  which  may 
be  uaed  to  advantage,  either  written  or  printed : 


126      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 


I  will 

Saw 

Wood 


or  build  fires,  or  do  anything  else  in  the 
way  of  hard  work. 


I  know  how  to  keep  books 

Because  I  have  kept  them  seven  years. 
Drop  postal  for  full  particulars,  or  tele- 
phone, Main  908. 

Stove-Seller 

If  you  want  a  man,  with  an  earned 
reputation,  to  sell  stoves,  write  Jofac  T. 
Smith,  P.  O.  Box  48,  New  York  City. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing     127 

Paint'Salesman 

I  am  out  of  a  job  because  the  paint- 
makers  I  sold  goods  for  have  failed. 
Telephone,  John  Smith,  Main  87. 


If  jour  record  is  bad,  and  you  were  dis- 
char^^ed  for  reason,  it  may  be  well  for  you 
frankly  to  admit  it,  and  write  or  print  some- 
thing as  follows: 


Discbargcd 
Salesman 
Open  for 

Engagement 


128      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Sold  hardware  on  the  road  for  17 
years.  Always  made  good.  Discharged 
because  I  drank  too  much.  Have  re- 
formed. Here's  your  chance  to  get  a 
mighty  good  man  who  made  a  fool  of 
himself,  and  won't  do  it  again. 


The  following  form  may  be  sent  out  gener- 
ally: 


One  bank  president,  two  bank 
cashiers,  six  successful  wholesalers,  will 
vouch  for  my  business  ability. 

Three  lawyers,  a  doctor,  and  a  min- 
ister will  tell  you  about  my  social  stand- 
ing and  integrity. 

Began  at  the  bottom  and  worked  up. 
Sold  flour  on  the  road  for  five  years. 
Firm  liquidated. 

Age  32 ;  married,  one  child. 


While  a  statement  of  qualifications  should, 
upon  general  principles,  be  given,  it  is  occa- 
sionally advisable  to  send  out  something  of  ex- 
treme and  unique  brevity.  I  present  a  form 
which  is  likely  to  attract  attention. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      129 


t 


U' 


Can  do  any  kind  of  work; 
work  doesn't  phase  me. 


the  hardest 


Both  tJie  heading  and  the  reading  matter 
should  be  set  in  plain  type,  the  heading  in  a 
size  of  type  three,  four,  or  five  times  larger  than 
that  used  for  the  reading  matter.  Tho  appear- 
ance will  be  improved  if  a  single  or  double  rule 
is  printed  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  matter. 
The  reading-matter  type  should  not  be  smaller 
than  what  is  technically  known  as  "  8  Point," 
nor  larger  than  "12  Point."  Eight-Point  type 
is  about  a  third  larger  than  that  used  for  the 
reading  matter  in  ordinary  newspapers,  and 
12-Point  type  is  considerably  larger,  and  the 
largest  size  permissible  for  book  work.  Eight- 
or  10-Point  type  is  preferable. 

The  heading,  if  desired,  need  not  be  in  the 
form  of  a  question,  and  may  read  "  Book- 
keeper Wants  Position,"  instead  of  "  Do  You 
Want  a  Book-keeper  ?  " 

I  would  recommend  that  the  matter  be  sent 
out  under  seal. 

There  is  no  objection  to  other  forms  of  typo- 


130      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

graphical  display ;  for  example,  the  matter  may 
be  printed  in  the  center  of  a  sheet  of  paper  as 
large  as  24  by  36  inches,  this  sheet  to  be  folded 
and  mailed  in  a  mailing  tube.  The  very  size 
of  it  alone  would  attract  attention. 

If  you  use  a  mailing  tube,  write  the  name 
and  address  upon  a  slip  of  paper  and  paste  on  to 
the  tube,  rather  than  attempt  to  write  upon  the 
tube  itself. 

Under  no  circumstances  say  anything  deroga- 
tory of  the  firm  you  are  working  for,  or  have 
worked  for,  unless  their  integrity  and  business 
methods  have  been  publicly  criticised. 

If  there  are  inside  reasons  why  you  should 
leave,  through  no  fault  of  your  own,  use  such 
an  expression  as,  "  Desire  to  make  change  for 
good  and  sufficient  reasons,  which  cannot  be 
given  except  in  confidence." 


LETTEKS    OF   INTRODUCTION 

There  is  no  special  form  for  letters  of  intro- 
duction, but  the  simplest  is  to  be  recommended. 
A  good  form  is  as  follows : 


Mr.  John  T.  Smith, 

Chicago,  111. 
Dear    Mr.    Smith    (or   Mj    dear    Mr. 

Smith,  or  Dear  Sir)  : 

Allow  me  to  introduce  to  you  our 
mutual  friend,  Mr.  William  R.  Black. 
Anything  that  you  can  do  for  him,  will 
be  appreciated  by 

Sincerely   yours, 
(or  Very  truly  yours). 

There  is  no  objection,  and  it  is  sometimes 
advisable,  to  describe  Mr.  Black,  in  the  letter 
of  introduction,  somewhat  as  follows: 

I  have  known  Mr.  Black  for  ten 
years,  and  can  vouch  for  his  integrity 


132      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

and  ability.     I  consider  him  competent 
to  fill  any  clerical  position. 


If  the  party  introduced  is  a  close  friend  of 
the  writer^s,  it  will  be  well  to  make  the  letter 
a  little  more  cordial.  Something  like  the  fol- 
lowing is  in  good  form : 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  introduce  to 
you,  Mr.  William  R.  Black. 

He  is  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
mine,  and  I  would  personally  appreciate 
anything  which  you  may  do  for  him. 

The  envelope  including  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion, should  be  addressed  about  as  follows: 

Mr.  John  T.  Smith, 

President,  Smith  Manufacturing  Co., 
404  Main  Street, 
Portland,  Maine. 

Introducing  Mr.  William  K.  Black. 

The  envelope  should  not  be  sealed. 
If  a  letter  of  introduction  is  to  be  sent  by 
mail  by  the  party  introduced,  an  envelope  need 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      133 

not  be  used  by  the  one  introducing,  and  the 
letter  accompanying  should  begin  somewhat  as 
follows : 

Enclosed  is  a  letter  from  our  mutual 
friend,  Mr.  John  T.  Smith. 

Occasionally  the  introducer  does  not  like  to 
place  in  the  letter  facts  about  the  party  intro- 
duced. •  In  this  case,  he  should  write  a  letter 
somewhat  as  follows:  ''Allow  me  to  introduce 
'My.  William  R.  Black,  of  whom  I  have  written 
you."  ^ 

While  a  letter  of  introduction  does  not  make 
the  party  giving  it  responsible  for  the  one  in- 
troduced, he,  by  unwritten  law,  somewhat 
guarantees  him.  Tlierefore,  if  there  is  anything 
against  him,  he  should  write,  or  telephone,  the 
one  addressed,  giving  full  particulars,  and  mark 
the   letter   "  Confidential." 


LETTERS    TO    FRIENDS 

Social  letters,  written  to  friends  or  to  per- 
sonal acquaintances,  should  not  begin,  as  a  rule, 
with  "  Dear  Sir  "  or  "  My  dear  Sir." 

If  the  party  addressed  is  a  very  close  friend, 
begin  the  letter  with  "  Dear  John,"  or  "  My 
dear  John,"  or  "  Dear  Mary,"  or  "  My  dear 
Mary." 

"  My  "  should  be  omitted,  if  your  relations 
are  very  intimate,  as  "  My  dear "  is  more 
formal  than  "  Dear ;  "  but  never  address  a  per- 
son by  his  given  name,  unless  he  is  an  intimate 
friend.  Better  say,  "  Dear  Mr.  Smith,"  or 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Smith,"  or  "  Dear  Miss  Jones," 
or  "  My  dear  Miss  Jones." 

While  the  ethics  of  business  suggest  that  all 
letters  addressed  to  an  individual  begin  "  Dear 
Sir,"  there  is  no  real  objection  to  saying  "  Dear 
Mr.  Smith,"  or  "My  dear  Mr.  Smith,"  or 
"  Dear  John,"  or  "  My  dear  John,"  if  the  re- 
ceiver is  a  close  friend.  Custom  permits  the 
use  of  the  foregoing,  but  when  in  doubt,  say 
"  Dear  Sir." 

A  social  or  semibusiness  letter,  addressed  to 
a  stranger,  may  begin,  "  My  dear  Mr.  Smith," 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      135 

or  even  "  Dear  Mr.  Smith,"  if  the  contents  of 
the  letter  are  purely  or  largely  personal.  For 
example,  let  us  suppose  that  you,  as  a  doctor, 
or  minister,  or  other  professional  man,  desire 
to  obtain  information  of  a  social  or  professional 
character:  it  is  better  taste  to  begin  your  letter, 
"  Dear  Dr.  Smith,"  or  "  Dear  Mr.  Smith,"  than 
to  use  the  plain  "  Dear  Sir." 

Letters  of  a  personal  character  should  never 
close  with  "  Respectfully  yours."  Use  some 
expression  like  "■  Sincerely  yours,"  or  "  Very 
sincerely  yours,"  or  "  Yours  very  sincerely,"  or 
"  Fraternally  yours."  "  Very  truly  yours  "  is 
permissible. 

Social  letters,  however,  should  never  close 
with  "  Very  truly  yours  "  or  "  Truly  yours." 
"  Sincerely  yours  "  is  a  good  form. 

All  business  letters  should  be  signed  by  your 
full  name,  but  intimate  social  letters  may  be 
signed  by  your  given  name  only,  provided  the 
receiver  is  not  likely  to  mistake  your  identity. 
It  is  better,  however,  to  sign  all  social  letters 
with  the  full  name,  unless  your  name  is  printed 
on  the  letter  paper. 

I  recall  an  incident.  I  have  four  intimate 
friends  by  the  name  of  "  Fred,"  and  the  hand- 
writing of  each  one  resembles  that  of  the  others. 
I  recently  received  four  postals  from  four 
"  Freds,"  and  had  difficulty  in  locating  the 
senders. 


HUMOROUS    LETTERS 

Thebe  is  absolutely  no  excuse  or  reason  for 
the  injection  of  humorous  or  of  witty  expres- 
sions into  a  business  letter  addressed  to  a 
stranger.  There  would  appear,  however,  to  be 
no  objection  to  a  few  pleasantries  in  business 
correspondence  between  personal  friends;  but 
clean-cut  "  yea  and  nay  "  statements  are  to  be 
preferred. 

The  writer  of  a  social  letter  has  a  special 
lioemse  to  do  as  he  pleases,  and  if  he  is  genuinely 
witty,  I  would  recommend  that  he  display  some 
of  his  humor  in  his  letters  to  friends.  Witty 
expressions  both  lighten  and  enliven  a  letter; 
but  humor  should  never  be  written  unless  the 
writer  of  it  is  reasonably  certain  that  the  re- 
ceiver of  it  will  appreciate  it.  It  must  not  be 
of  a  biting  quality,  and  great  care  should  be 
taken  not  to  offend  the  receiver. 

The  writer  should  realize  that  what  he  says 
on  paper  is  often  open  to  more  than  one  con- 
struction, and  must  be  more  carefully  guarded 
than  conversation. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  receiver  of  a  letter  is 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      137 

likely  to  be  removed  from  the  writer  of  it,  and 
is  permanently  or  temporarily  living  in  an  en- 
vironment with  which  the  sender  of  the  letter 
may  not  be  acquainted.  A  pleasantry,  even  if 
really  witty,  may  be  out  of  place,  because  of 
something  which  has  happened  to  the  receiver 
of  the  letter.  The  writer  cannot  anticipate  the 
feelings  or  conditions  of  the  receiver  with  any- 
thing more  than  an  ordinary  degree  of  accuracy. 
The  receiver  may  be  suffering  from  some  be- 
reavement, his  wife  may  be  dangerously  ill.  A 
joke  on  marital  relations  between  husband  and 
wife  will  not  be  a])preciate<l  if  one  of  them  is 
sick,  or  they  are  suffering  from  misunderstand- 
ing. ■♦ 

The  best  rule  to  follow  is,  When  in  doubt, 
don't 


LETTERS    OF    COMMENDATION    AND 
CONGRATULATION 

Life  is  hard  at  best,  and  every  one  has 
troubles  of  his  own.  Honest  or  sincere  praise, 
or  commendation,  smooths  over  the  hard  places 
and  throws  fleams  of  sunlight  into  the  clouds. 

If  a  friend  or  acquaintance  of  yours  has  done 
something  worthy  of  commendation,  and  you 
cannot  meet  him  personally,  write  him  and  tell 
him  how  much  you  enjoyed  what  he  has  writ- 
ten, or  how  much  you  appreciated  what  he  has 
dona 

Let  us  suppose,  for  example,  that  a  friend  of 
yours  has  delivered  a  remarkable  address,  and 
that  an  account  of  it  has  appeared  in  the  news- 
paper. Write  a  letter  tellinpj  him  you  have 
read  the  speech,  and  that  it  has  pleased  you, 
and  comment  upon  some  particular  point  which 
he  has  made.  This  letter  will  be  very  accept- 
able, especially  if  the  receiver  is  feeling  dis- 
couraged, or  has  gained  the  impression  that  he 
did  not  do  well. 

If  a  friend  of  yours  has  been  appointed  to 
an  oflSoe,  or  has  received  promotion,  write  him 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      139 

a  brief  line  of  congratulation,  ^ever  fail  to 
acknowledge  an  engagement  between  two 
friends,  and  w^rite  to  both  parties,  if  you  know 
them.  The  somewhat  common  custom  of  con- 
gratulating only  the  bridegroom-elect  is  sheer 
nonsense.     Congratulate  both. 


LETTERS    OF    CONDOLENCE 

SociAX,  etiquette  requires  the  sending  of  a 
letter  to  any  friend,  and  even  to  an  acquaint- 
ance, who  is  suffering  from  any  disaster  or  is 
under  bereavement. 

I  dislike  to  give  any  set  forms,  for  tlie  reai3on 
that  if  they  are  used,  they  are  likely  to  appear 
stilted  and  formal,  and  not  properly  to  repre- 
sent the  feelings  of  the  sender. 

If  you  are  addressing  a  very  sentimental  per- 
son under  bereavement,  there  is  no  objection  to 
writing  a  long  letter,  even  a  flow^ery  or  a  very 
sentimental  one.  But  men  and  women  of  in- 
telligence and  of  liberal  education  prefer  a 
short  expression  of  sympathy,  rather  than  long- 
drawn-oxit  sentences  and  expressions  of  senti- 
ment and  feeling,  which  may  be  styled  &a 
"  gushy."  Then,  the  writer  should  make  an 
effort  not  to  harrow  the  feelings  of  the  receiver. 

A  letter  expressing  a  sincere  sympathy  mate- 
rially soothes  the  feelings  of  the  receiver;  but 
a  long  letter,  minutely  referring  to  the  trouble, 
even  to  detail,  is  likely  to  work  the  opposite  of 
the  intention  of  the  writer,  and  to  make  Uie 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      141 

bereavement  harder  for  the  receiver  to  bear. 
Better  confine  yourself  to  some  simple  expres- 
sion of  sympathy,  like,  "  Words  are  inadequate 
to  express  my  feelings,"  or  ''  There  are  times 
when  one  cannot  express  himself  in  written 
words/'  or  "  The  pen  refuses  to  adequately  ex- 
press my  sympathy  for  you." 

Letters  of  condolence  in  case  of  death,  or  other 
bereavement,  should  be  most  carefully  worded, 
and  every  effort  should  be  made  not  to  increase 
the  suffering  of  the  receiver.  Put  a  little  bright- 
ness into  your  letter,  and  words  of  encourage- 
ment. 


LETTEKS  OF  PROPOSAL 

I  APPROACH  this  subject  with  diflBdence,  and 
I  positively  refuse  to  present  any  set  forms,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  in  letters  of  this  kind, 
the  body  of  the  letter  should  not  follow  any 
printed  form  or  style;  it  should  come  from  the 
heart  of  the  sender,  and  should  represent  him, 
and  not  appear  to  be  written  with  the  assistance 
of  a  book  or  other  guide. 

If  you  are  unable  properly  to  express  your- 
self, the  chances  are  that  the  receiver  of  your 
proposal  is  in  the  same  condition,  and  may 
have  consulted  the  same  book  or  forms  that  you 
use  in  framing  the  letter;  in  which  case,  your 
letter  of  proposal  falls  flat,  and  it  should. 

If  you  want  to  propose  to  a  woman,  do  so 
in  a  manly  and  yet  sentimental  way,  laying 
your  heart  before  her.  Expressions  of  senti- 
ment, even  if  overdone,  are  certainly  permis- 
sible. Write  to  her  as  you  would  talk  to  her, 
and  write  as  much  as  you  want  to.  Here, 
brevity  is  not  a  virtue. 

Do  not  be  afraid  of  compromising  yourself, 
for  the  action  itself  binds  you  and  corapromisea 
you,  and  you  cannot  avoid  it 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      143 

Do  not  address  the  woman  as  "  Dear  Miss 
Smith."  If  you  do  not  know  her  well  enough 
to  call  her  "  Dear  Mary,"  or  to  use  a  more  en- 
dearing term,  get  better  acquainted  with  her 
before  you  propose. 

Perhaps  your  letter  will  look  silly  years  after- 
wards, but  what  if  it  does  ?  If  you  mean  what 
you  say,  say  it  with  all  of  the  adjectives  you 
can  call  together,  and  do  not  be  afraid  of  using 
endearing  words. 

If  it  were  not  for  sentiment  and  love,  life 
would  not  be  worth  living. 

If  the  one  you  are  proposing  to  is  not 
familiar  with  your  financial  or  other  circum- 
stances, state  those  circumstances  frankly  in 
your  letter.  It  is  better,  however,  to  familiarize 
the  woman  with  who  and  what  you  are  before 
you  propose  to  her. 

As  a  rule,  I  would  advise  against  any  over- 
expression  of  your  unworthiness.  If  you  be- 
lieve you  are  unworthy,  you  have  no  right  to 
propose  to  her,  and  you  should  not  belittle  your- 
self. If  you  feel  that  you  are  worthy,  and  say 
that  you  are  not,  you  are  a  liar. 

Letters  of  proposal,  while  they  should  be  sen- 
timental, should  be  of  the  utmost  frankness, 
with  no  disguise.  State  your  case  as  it  is,  and 
present  your  feelings  as  they  are. 

If  there  ever  is  a  time  when  you  should  be 
your  whole  self,  and  should  not  receive  aid  from 


144      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

an  outsider,  it  is  when  you  write  a  letter  of 
proposaJ,  or  when  you  propose  by  word  of 
mouth. 

Thousands  of  illiterate  persons  write  letters 
of  proposal  from  forms  which  would  do  credit 
to  a  literary  writer,  and  they  cannot  properly 
represent  the  sender. 

Keep  away  from  all  forms  and  set  styles,  and 
simply  write  what  you  feel,  even  though  you 
may  appear  to  make  a  mess  of  it. 

Under  no  circumstances  attempt  to  be  any 
one  else,  and  do  not  copy  another's  style. 


PARAGEAPHING 

Pakagbapiis  in  a  letter  open  it  up,  so  to 
speak,  and  make  it  easier  reading,  especially  if 
it  is  hand-written.  Better  have  too  many  para- 
graphs than  an  insufficient  number. 

Never  allow  two  subjects  to  appear  in  the 
same  paragraph. 

Each  paragraph  should  be  complete  in  itself, 
unless  the  matter  is  too  long  for  one  paragraph, 
in  which  case  cut  it  up  into  several  paragraphs. 

If  your  letter  is  a  hand-written  one,  and 
covers  several  subjects,  it  is  well  to  separate  it 
into  distinct  parts,  by  running  dashes  in  the 
center  of  the  page.  This  materially  assists  the 
reader  in  understanding  what  you  have  to  say. 

Avoid  long  paragraphs.  They  are  hard  to 
read,  and  hard  to  understand. 

A  paragraph  in  a  letter  should  seldom  occupy 
more  than  a  dozen  lines. 

A  letter  to  be  easy  reading,  must  be  open,  so 
to  speak.  The  subjects  must  be  kept  apart,  aad 
important  points  written  by  themselves. 

There  is  no  objection,  where  you  are  bringing 


146      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

out  several  things  of  importance,  to  numbering 
each  paragraph  or  subject. 

Some  typewriters  are  equipped  with  a  ribbon 
of  two  colors,  one  in  black,  blue-black,  green, 
or  purple,  and  the  other  in  red.  Ihe  use  of  the 
red  for  important  lines  and  headings  is  to  be 
recommended,  provided  it  is  not  overdone. 

The  body  of  the  letter  should  be  written  in 
black,  or  in  blue-black,  or  dark  blue,  in  prefer- 
ence to  purple  or  other  color  of  ink.  Yellow 
ink  is  to  be  avoided. 

These  suggestions  apply  also  to  hand-written 
letters.  » 


CAPITALIZATION 

Avoid  the  use  of  capitals,  except  for  proper 
names,  as  overcapitalization  is  in  bad  taste,  and 
places  an  emphasis  upon  words  which  do  not 
need  it.  For  example:  when  you  use  an  ex- 
pression in  the  body  of  a  letter  like  "  your  com- 
pany," or  "  your  house,"  it  is  not  necessary  to 
capitalize  "  company,"  or  "  house ;  "  nor  need 
general  names  of  commodities  be  capitalized. 
If  you  refer,  however,  to  "  Star  Flour,"  Flour 
may  be  capitalized,  but  flour,  when  used  gener- 
ally, should  begin  with  a  small  letter. 

If  you  are  writing  for  information  for,  say, 
blacking  in  general,  begin  blacking  with  a  small 
"  b,"  but  if  you  are  referring  to  any  particular 
kind  of  blacking,  like  "  Crescent  Blacking," 
the  capitalization  of  Blacking  is  preferable. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  capitalize  a  word  like 
"  city,"  when  you  are  writing  something  like, 
"  I  was  ,in  your  city  yesterday."  But  "  city  " 
should  be  capitalized  when  it  appears  as  a  part 
of  the  name,  like  "  New  York  City  "  or  "  Kan- 
sas City." 

If  you  desire  to  emphasize  a  point,  it  is  better 


148      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

to  underline  it,  but  do  not  over-underline.  Em- 
phasize by  underlining  a  few  of  the  important 
points,  but  underlining,  as  a  rule,  is  not  to  be 
recommended,  as  it  has  a  tendency  to  confuse 
the  reader. 

Capital  letters  are  not  easy  to  read,  except 
when  the  words  capitalized  are  short. 


ABBREVIATIONS 

!*[£¥£«  abbreviate  any  technical  term,  or  any 
thing  else,  when  there  is  the  slightest  opportu- 
nity for  misconception.  Do  not  use  "  cat."  for 
catalogue,  or  "  Dr."  for  Doctor,  unless  it  is 
followed  by  the  name  of  the  doctor.  If  you 
refer  to  the  person  as  "  Doctor,"  write  out 
"  Doctor  "  in  full,  and  this  rule  should  apply 
to  all  other  titles  when  the  name  does  not  follow. 
Under  no  circumstances  say  "  Dear  Dr.,"  or 
"  Dear  Gen.,"  or  "  Dear  Maj."  Always  write 
out  "  Dear  Doctor,"  or  "  Dear  Greneral,"  or 
"  Dear  Major." 

Never  write  "  rec."  for  received. 

Names  of  the  month,  like  December,  may  be 
abbreviated  ^'  Dec,"  but  the  shorter  names  of 
the  months,  like  May  and  April,  should  be 
spelled  out  in  full.  There  is  no  objection,  how- 
ever, to  abbreviating  names  of  the  days,  like 
"  Men.,"  although  it  is  better  to  write  them  in 
full 


THE   USE   OF   FIGUKES 

A  GENERAi.,  but  unwritten  rule,  suggests  that 
figures  appearing  in  the  body  of  the  letter  be 
spelled  out  if  under  10 ;  figures  to  be  used  for 
10  and  over,  unless  the  letter  is  a  contract,  or 
important  order,  in  which  case  it  is  well  to  spell 
them  out,  and  follow  with  figures  enclosed  in 
parentheses :  for  example,  "  Twenty-five  thou- 
sand (25,000)  dollars." 

Figures  in  tables  should  not  be  spelled  out. 
If  the  figures  represent  a  price,  it  is  well  to 
write  thus,  "  $25,000,"  but  the  dollar  mark  may 
be  omitted  in  a  table. 

Tables  of  figures  should  be  carefully  written, 
and  in  tabular  form,  —  the  hundreds  under 
hundreds,  tens  under  tens,  etc.,  —  so  that  the 
receiver  can  verify  their  correctness  without 
difficulty. 

All  tables  of  figures  should  be  by  themselves ; 
that  is,  they  should  not  be  run  into  the  reading 
matter. 


PUNCTUATION 

There  are  various  rules  for  punctuation, 
which  are  substantially  alike,  and  the  variations 
are  of  little  consequence.  As  these  rules  can 
be  found  in  any  book  of  grammar  or  punctua- 
tion, it  is  unnecessary  to  give  them  here  in  full. 
It  is  better,  however,  to  overpunctuate  than  to 
imderpunctuate,  for  punctuation  marks  open  up 
a  letter,  and  make  it  easier  to  read.  I  will,  how- 
ever, give  a  few  simple  rules  of  ordinary  punc 
tuation : 

1.  End  every  sentence  with  a  period,  and 
place  a  period  after  every  abbreviation,  liko 
"  Dr.,"  "  Mr.,"  "  M.  D.,"  "  Eev.,"  etc.,  but  do 
not  use  it  after  the  abbreviations  containing  an 
apostrophe.  If  you  write  "  Gen."  for  "  Gen- 
eral," place  a  period  after  it,  but  not  if  you 
spell  it  "Gen'L". 

2.  Commas  should  be  used  where  there  are 
short  pauses,  and  always  in  a  list  of  words  like 
the  following:  Dogs,  cats,  and  horses.  The 
comma,  however,  should  be  omitted  before 
"  and  "  where  there  are  only  two  nouns,  like 
"  dogs  and  cats."    Always  place  a  comma  after 


152      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

the  name  when  it  is  followed  by  "  Jr.,"  "  Esq.," 
"  M.  D.,"  etc.,  and  after  it  if  other  matter 
follows. 

3.  The  semicolon  is  used  in  a  compound 
sentence  to  separate  clauses  of  equal  rank;  as, 
for  example,  in  the  following :  "  The  men  went 
into  the  woods  silently;  they  came  back,  how- 
ever, shouting." 

4.  The  colon  is  -used  to  separate  the  co-or- 
dinate parts  of  a  compound  sentence,  when  one 
or  more  of  them  are  complex  sentences  in  which 
a  semicolon  has  been  used.  It  is  also  used  to 
set  off  or  introduce  important  matter.  "  He 
went  when  the  way  was  clear ;  but  he  could  not 
stay:  nevertheless  we  did  not  blame  him,"  is 
an  example  of  the  first,  as  is  the  following  of 
the  second :  "  The  opposition  was  of  three  kinds : 
personal,  party,  and  social." 

5.  An  interrogation  mark  should  follow  every 
sentence  which  asks  a  question. 

6.  An  exclamation  point  denotes  something 
emphatically  said,  or  sudden  emotion. 

Y.  Quotation  marks  are  used  wherever  you 
are  directly  quoting  from  another.  If  there  is 
a  quotation  within  a  quotation,  single  quotation 
marks  should  be  used  for  it.  For  example, 
regular  quotation  marks  should  be  used  in  the 
following  sentence :  In  the  words  of  our  mutual 
friend,  John  Smith,  "  All  men,  save  you  and  I, 
are  liars."    The  correct  use  of  single  quotation. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      153 

marks  appears  in  the  following  sentence:  In 
his  speech  before  the  Senate,  John  Smith  said, 
"  I  would  call  yonr  attention  to  the  words  of 
the  immortal  Washington,  in  the  famous  ad- 
dress in  which  he  said,  '  Let  all  men  be  men.'  " 
Names  of  newspapers  may  be  enclosed  with 
quotation  marks,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  do 
so.  Everything  in  a  letter  that  is  directly 
quoted  should  be  enclosed  in  quotation  marks. 
Usually  the  sentence  should  begin  with  a  capi- 
tal, unless  the  quoted  matter  is  the  ending  of 
a  sentence,  when  a  capital  letter  should  not  ap- 
pear. Quotation  marks  should  not  be  used  for 
the  names  of  firms  or  companies, 

8.  The  parenthesis  need  not  be  used,  except 
occasionally,  in  letters.  It  indicates  an  inserted 
sentence  or  clause. 

9.  The  dash  may  follow  a  colon,  or  may  be 
used  in  place  of  a  comma,  or  with  a  comma.  It 
breaks  up  a  sentence. 


REPETITIOJT    OF   WORDS 

While  repetition  is  to  be  avoided,  it  is  bettei 
to  repeat  a  word  than  to  sacrifice  clearness  bj 
not  doing  so.  Some  writers,  instead  of  making 
each  statement  or  paragraph  cover  the  ground, 
refer  to  other  paragraphs  or  to  other  letters. 
Do  not  do  this,  unless  it  would  require  too  much 
space  to  make  each  paragraph  or  section  com- 
plete in  itself.  Do  not  make  it  difficult  for  the 
reader  to  understand  what  you  have  written. 
Better  repeat  the  same  word  in  the  same  sen- 
tence, even  though  it  is  opposed  to  the  rules  of 
higher  rhetoric  and  construction,  than  to  allow 
opportunity  for  misconception. 

For  example,  if  you  are  referring  to,  say, 
"  Star  Flour,"  better  repeat  the  word  "  Star/' 
even  several  times,  than  to  give  the  reader  op- 
portunity to  think  you  are  referring  to  some 
other  flour  or  to  flour  in  general. 

Clearness  is  all-important,  and  it  is  better  to 
ignore  some  of  th6  rules  of  writing,  than  to  con- 
fuse the  receiver. 


THE   USE   OF  FOREIGN   LANGUAGES 

The  better  class  of  letter  writers  strenuously 
avoid  the  use  of  any  foreign  term,  word,  or  ex- 
pression, unless  it  is  one  of  common  custom,  like 
"  'prima  facie." 

The  promiscuous  use  of  foreign  phrases  in- 
dicates that  the  writer  is  an  educated  fool,  and 
desires  to  display  his  education  or  learning. 

Many  professional  men  and  women  write  in 
their  letters  quotations  in  the  original  language, 
assuming  that  the  reader  can  easily  translate 
them.  This  is  to  be  avoided,  unless  the  receiver 
is  kno^vn  to  be  proficient  in  the  language  used 
for  the  quotation ;  but  even  then,  plain  English 
is  to  be  preferred. 

A  display  of  education,  or  of  learning,  in  an 
ordinary  letter,  is  in  bad  taste,  and  is  avoided 
by  all,  save  the  superficial,  and  those  who  parade 
their  education,  because  it  appears  to  be  all  that 
they  have  which  can  be  displayed. 


THE   USE    OF   LONG   WORDS 

The  writing  of  long  words,  where  there  are 
short  ones  of  the  same  meaning,  shows  that  the 
writer  is  either  ignorant  or  an  educated  igno- 
ramus. 

It  is  in  bad  taste,  and  should  be  avoided. 

Letters  should  be  made  easy  for  their  re- 
ceivers to  read,  and  should  be  so  simple  that 
any  person  of  common  education  will  be  able  to 
understand  them  without  the  use  of  a  dictionary. 

Simplicity  is  art. 

Short  and  plain  words  stand  for  refinement 
and  education.  * 

Long,  or  unusual  words,  which  are  forced 
into  a  letter,  are  good  evidence  that  the  writer's 
brain  is  little  better  than  a  receiving  vault  for 
knowledge  which  he  does  not  know  how  to  dis- 
tribute. 


OBSOLETE    WORDS 

There  is  absolutely  no  excuse  for  the  use  of 
obsolete  words  in  a  letter. 

The  writer  of  it  makes  a  disgusting  display 
of  his  educated  ignorance. 

Upon  general  principles,  I  would  advise  no 
one  to  use  any  word  which  is  not  found  in  the 
abridged  dictionary.  Because  the  word  or  term 
is  given  in  a  large  dictionary  is  not  a  good  ex- 
cuse for  the  appearance  of  it  in  a  letter. 

The  use  of  obsolete  or  unusual  words  does  not 
stand  for  education  or  learning.  It  is  simply  a 
written,  display  of  a>rrogance  and  ignorance. 


THE  WKITING  OF  TECHNICAL  AND 
SCIENTIFIC    TERMS 

Unless  your  letter  is  addressed  to  one  fa- 
miliar with  technical  or  scientific  terms,  use 
more  than  ordinary  care  in  writing  them,  and 
never  use  them  when  you  can  avoid  doing  so, 
unless  you  are  addressing  one  who  is  as  familiar 
with  them  as  you  are. 

Thousands  of  lawyers  fill  their  letters  with 
the  technique  of  their  profession  to  the  annoy- 
ance of  those  who  receive  them. 

Scientists,  and  other  specialists,  use  alto- 
gether too  many  scientific  terms,  and  words  of 
the  laboratory,  when  addressing  laymen. 

The  value  of  the  letter  is  limited  to  the  un- 
derstanding of  it  on  the  part  of  its  receiver. 

The  ordinary  letter  should  not  contain  any 
word  or  expression  which  the  reader  cannot 
understand  without  the  help  of  a  dictionary. 

If  it  is  necessary,  however,  to  use  technical 
or  scientific  terms,  write  them  plainly,  so  that 
the  receiver  may  look  them  up  in  the  dictionary, 
if  he  does  not  understand  them. 

Plain  English  is  best  under  all  circumstances. 


SIMPLICITY 

Until  joii  become  as  proficient  as  Shake- 
speare was  in  the  juggling  of  words,  and  are 
sure  of  a  Shakespearian  audience,  do  not  at- 
tempt to  put  into  your  letter  Shakespearian  ex- 
pressions or  those  of  other  great  writers.  " 

It  has  been  said  that  it  is  more  difficult  to  be 
simple  than  it  is  to  display  superficial  or  even 
deep  learning. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  books  which  have  lived 
are,  for  the  most  part,  written  in  the  simplest 
style  and  adapted  to  their  readers. 

One  reason  why  many  learned  professors  have 
failed  in  literature  is  because  they  wrote  above 
their  readers,  or  rather  below  their  readers,  for 
any  attempt  to  use  unusual  English  shows  that 
the  one  who  does  it  is  mentally  deficient,  al- 
though his  mind  may  be  a  storehouse  of  learn- 
ing. 

The  ordinary  letter  should  not  be  the  vehiale 
for  a  display  of  rhetoric,  or  of  what  is  known 
as  "  fine  writing." 

No  matter  if  the  receiver  is  highly  educated, 


160     The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

if  jou  are  not,  you  should  not  attempt  to  ad- 
dress him  in  his  style. 

Be  yourself;  you  cannot  be  anybody  elsej 
it  is  useless  to  try. 

The  letter  you  write  is  your  letter,  not  the 
receiver's  letter,  so  far  as  the  composition  of  it 
is  concerned. 

Simple  expressions  will  be  understood.  Com- 
plicated sentences,  or  a  display  of  education, 
may  confuse  the  receiver,  and  if  he  is  a  man  of 
real  learning,  he  will  despise  the  writer  who 
attempts  to  ventilate  his  knowledge  upon  letter 
paper. 

As  there  is  no  opportunity  for  immediate  ex- 
planation, the  sender  should  weigh  his  words 
more  carefully  than  he  would  in  a  conversation. 
Many  a  friendship  has  been  temporarily  broken, 
or  irrevocably  lost,  because  a  letter  was  misun- 
derstood, and  yet  the  writer  of  it  had  the  best 
intentions. 


KNOLOSmG  POETRY  IN  A  LETTERS 

It  is  quite  common  for  the  writer  of  a  social 
or  friendly  letter  to  a  personal  friend  to  enclose 
with  the  letter  clippings  from  real  or  alleged 
poems,  particularly  if  the  receiver  is  suffering 
from  bereavement.  There  is  no  objection  to 
doing  this,  if  the  poem  is  appropriate,  and  truly 
expresses  the  feelings  of  the  writer.  But  upon 
general  principles,  I  would  advise  the  omission 
of  these  clippings. 

It  is  far  better  to  express  yourself  in  your 
own  way,  than  to  attempt  to  present  your  feel- 
ings in  the  words  of  others. 

It  is  a  fact  that  supercilious  and  shallow 
people  are  prone  to  enclose  printed  rhymes,  usu- 
ally verses  which  appeal  to  them,  whether  or 
not  they  are  appropriate  to  the  condition  of  th» 
receiver. 

Quite  often,  a  clipping  from  a  poem,  or  a 
copy  of  it,  in  a  letter,  harrows  the  feelings  of 
the  receiver,  who  may  be  in  trouble,  and  the 
effect  is  opposite  to  the  intention  of  the  sender. 

A  letter  is  a  written  monologue,  and  il;  is  sup- 
posed to  tell  the  receiver  what  the  writer  woul<3 


162      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

say  if  he  were  face  to  face  with  him.  Of 
course,  the  letter  is  not  likely  to  be  so  volu- 
minous as  the  conversation  would  probably  be 
if  the  sender  and  receiver  were  together,  but  it 
is  personal  and  conversational  and  should  not 
depart  from  personality. 


PHONETIC    SPELLING 

Phonetic  spelling,  that  is,  spelling  words 
like  "  through,"  "  thru,"  is  becoming  more  com- 
mon, particularly  among  some  classes  of  edu- 
cators. 

Should  the  ordinary  correspondent  use  this 
system  ?  The  answer  would  be  both  "  Yes  " 
and  "  No."  Yes,  if  he  is  an  advocate  of  it,  and 
is  addressing  educators,  or  those  who  believe  in 
this  system :  "  No,"  for  ordinary  correspond- 
ence. 

It  is  obvious  that  a  letter  should  be  accept- 
able to  the  receiver,  as  well  as  to  the  one  who 
writes  it,  and  any  departure  from  custom  is  to 
be  avoided,  except  in  special  cases. 


INTERLIKENG 

Avoid,  whenever  possible,  interlining,  — 
that  is,  writing  words  between  the  lines. 

Interlining  confuses  the  reader  and  makes 
the  letter  difficult  to  read.  It  is  better  to  cross 
out  your  words,  and  write  them  again  on  the 
same  line,  or  rewrite  the  letter.  Of  course, 
there  is  no  objection  to  adding  a  word  here  and 
there  between  the  lines,  but  avoid  adding 
words  as  much  as  possible.  Interlining  does 
not  look  as  badly  in  a  hand-written  letter  as 
in  one  typewritten. 


PLAINNESS  AND  CORRECTNESS 

A  FRIEND  of  mine,  who  is  considered  the  best 
English  scholar  in  America,  once  said  to  me, 
and  very  emphatically,  "  Hang  correctness  of 
speech  or  the  written  word.  Make  yourself 
plain  and  understood." 

This  great  scholar,  while  not  for  a  moment 
intending  to  give  me  the  impression  that  he 
favored  the  ungrammatical,  desired  to  be  under- 
stood that  he  advocated  clearness  more  than 
mere  grammatical  correctness. 

Of  course,  you  should  be  careful  with  your 
grammar,  but  be  clear  first  and  grammatical 
afterwards.  Better  repeat  a  word  a  dozen  times, 
if  it  adds  clearness  to  your  letter,  than  confuse 
the  reader  by  a  display  of  rhetoric  or  of  elabo- 
rate construction. 

You  desire  to  convey  a  message,  and  your 
efforts  are  in  vain  if  tHe  receiver  does  not  un- 
derstand it.  Make  it  clear,  therefore,  even  at  a 
sacrifice  of  what  the  purist  would  consider  the 
best  English  construction. 

If  you  are  writing  something  which  is  oom- 
plicated,  it  may  be  well  for  you  to  present  it  in 


166      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

two  diflFerent  ways,  so  that  the  reader  will  be 
sure  to  understand  it.  For  example,  let  us  sup- 
pose that  you  have  received  a  letter  requesting 
you  to  be  in  Boston  on  a  certain  date,  and  that 
you  can  be  there  on  that  date,  but  that  you 
much  prefer  to  arrive  on  a  later  date.  You  do 
not,  however,  desire  to  give  the  impression  that 
you  will  not  come  at  the  time  requested,  if  a 
later  date  will  inconvenience  the  party  ad- 
dressed. You  can  give  the  ri^t  impression  by 
writing  somewhat  as  follows: 

I  can  arrange'  to  be  in  Boston  next 
Monday,  the  15th  inst.,  but  I  have  an 
engagement  on  that  day,  which  will 
make  it  somewhat  difficult  for  me  to  be 
with  you  earlier  than  next  Wednesday, 
the  17th  inst.  Kindly  understand  that, 
if  you  cannot  conveniently  arrange  it  to 
see  me  on  Wednesday,  I  will  be  with 
you  on  Monday. 


THE  USE   OF   THE   TYPEWRITER 

The  typewriter  has  become  an  industrial, 
commercial,  and  social  necessity. 

Comparatively  few  business  letters,  other 
than  from  small  concerns,  are  written  by  hand. 

The  typewriter  should  be  used  invariably, 
even  by  men  and  con:'ems  doing  little  business. 

The  handwritten  business  letter  is  out  of 
date,  shows  lack  of  enterprise,  and  should  be 
strenuously  avoided. 

If  you  cannot  afford  one  of  the  standard  type- 
writer machines,  purchase  a  small  and  less  ex- 
pensive one,  which  will  do  fairly  good  work. 

Even  the  best  handwriting  is  more  or  less 
illegible  and  hard  to  read,  and  the  receiver  may 
lay  it  aside,  unless  it  is  very  short. 

Prominent  business  men,  having  large  cor- 
respondence, often  refuse  to  read  a  handwrit- 
ten letter,  which  is  given  to  the  clerk  for 
"  translation,"  and  may  never  be  seen  by  the 
party  to  whom  it  is  addressed. 

Typewritten  letters  may  be  easily  copied,  and 
this  adds  another  advantage  to  them. 

Until  quite  recently,  it  was  considered  bad 


168      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

form  to  writ©  a  social  letter  upon  the  typewriter^ 
but  oommon  sense  has  removed  the  ban  upon  it. 
Although  a  few  "  extremists  "  and  "  idiots  in 
etiquette "  object  to  the  social  letter  writtwi 
upon  the  typewriter,  the  rank  and  file  of  those 
worth  writing  to  will  appreciate  a  letter  which 
they  can  read,  in  preference  to  the  result  of 
hand-labor,  which  is  often  illegible  in  whole  or 
in  part. 

Custom,  and  the  good  sense  of  the  people, 
permit  the  use  of  the  typewriter  for  all  kinds 
of  correspondence. 

It  is  obvious,  however,  that  a  social  letter  had 
better  be  written  upon  a  folded  sheet,  and  not 
upon  ordinary  commercial  paper. 

The  use  of  the  so-called  "  Elite  "  typewriter 
is  to  be  recommended  for  social  letters.  This 
machine  prints  letters  about  two-thirds  the  size 
of  the  ordinary  typewriter  type-face,  and  is 
being  used  to  some  extent  by  business  houses 
as  well  as  for  social  correspondence. 

A  typewritten  social  letter  should  have  a  wide 
margin  at  the  top,  bottom,  and  sides. 


X 


HANDWRITING 

While  the  use  of  the  typewriter,  even  for 
many  social  forms  of  letters,  is  to  be  recom- 
mended, it  is  obvious  that  those  who  do  not 
possess  a  typewriter  will  be  obliged  to  depend 
upon  the  pen. 

If  your  handwriting  is  illegible,  have  your 
letter  written  by  some  clerk,  or  other  person, 
who  writes  a  readable  hand ;  except,  of  course, 
for  social  correspondence.  But  a  little  practice, 
however,  will  enable  even  the  poor  hand-writer 
to  improve  his  style.  If  you  cannot  write  even 
lines,  then  use  ruled  paper.  Better  have  too 
many  paragraphs  than  too  few,  especially  in  a 
letter  written  by  hand. 

Be  careful  to  spell  out  proper  and  technical 
names,  and  see  to  it  that  such  letters  as  "  u  " 
and  "  n  "  are  distinct,  as  they  look  very  much 
alike  in  handwriting. 

Do  not  abbreviate,  except  when  you  are  sure 
that  the  abbreviation  will  be  understood.  Not 
one  writer  in  a  hundred  is  a  correct  speller; 
and  yet  the  majority  of  poor  spellers  detect  in- 
tuitivdj  a  misspelled  word. 


170     The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Every  correspondent  should  have  by  him 
either  a  large  dictionary,  or  an  abridged  one, 
which  contains  all  of  the  words  in  common  use, 
and  is  easier  to  consult  than  is  a  larger  book. 

Do  not  take  chances  with  your  memory ;  look 
up  all  words  you  are  not  sure  of. 


THE  POST  OFFICE 

Whatever  may  be  the  arguments  for  and 
against  the  government  ownership  or  control  of 
transportation  of  every  kind,  including  rail- 
roads, express,  telegraph,  and  telephone,  it  is 
probable  that  no  public  service  corporation,  or 
any  privately  run  industry,  better  accommo- 
dates the  public,  or  is  more  efficient,  than  the 
post  office  department,  which  successfully  con- 
ducts the  transportation  of  letters  and  merchan- 
dise, does  beside  a  virtual  express  business,  and, 
fhrther,  furnishes  a  depository  for  the  people's 
money. 

The  rates  of  postage  changed  recently,  and 
probably  another  rearrangement  of  postal  rates 
will  be  made.  Consequently,  it  is  obvious  that 
it  would  be  inadvisable  to  give  these  rates  here, 
and  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  Official  Postal 
Guide  or  to  post  masters  and  postal  clerks. 

The  United  States  Post  Office  Department 
separates  mailable  matter  into  four  classes: 

First-Class : — Letters  and  everything  sealed, 


172       The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

whether  accompanied  by  a  written  message  or 
not. 

Second-Class : — Newspapers,  magazines,  and 
all  periodicals  published  at  intervals  of  not  less 
than  three  months,  upon  which  is  printed  ''En- 
tered as  second-class  matter  at  the  post  office 

at — :' 

Third-Class :  —  Books,  pamphlets,  catalogs, 
maps,  calendars,  and  other  printed  matter. 

Fourth-Class : — Merchandise  of  every  kind,  in- 
cluding most  of  what  is  specified  under  Third 
Class.    (See  Parcel  Post  on  another  page.) 

All  mail  matter,  except  that  sent  by  Parcel 
Post,  may  be  registered  by  affixing  ten  cents 
extra  postage  to  the  envelope,  wrapper,  or  pack- 
age. 

Letters,  and  all  kinds  of  packages  included  in 
the  Parcel  Post,  may  be  sent  by  Special  De- 
livery for  ten  cents  in  addition  to  the  regular 
postage. 

Special  Delivery  stamps  are  furnished  by  the 
post  office,  but  are  not  necessary  if  ten  cents 
additional  in  stamps  is  placed  upon  the  en- 
velope, wrapper,  or  package,  and  the  words 
"Special  Delivery"  are  printed  or  written 
prominently  upon  it. 

Special  Delivery  mail  may  be  deposited  in 
street  boxes,  but  time  may  be  saved  by  mailing 
it  at  the  Special  Delivery  chute  in  the  poet 
office.    Even  if  Special  Delivery  matter  is  not 


The.  Art  of  Letter  Writing      178 

of  the  first  class,  it  is  likely  to  be  transported 
as  rapidly  as  first-class  matter. 

Postal-cards  and  post-cards  may  be  mailed  to 
any  part  of  the  United  States  or  to  any  foreign 
country. 

If  the  person  addressed  has  moved,  and  the 
receiving  post  office  has  his  new  address,  first- 
class  matter  will  be  forwarded,  if  the  sender 
writes  ''Please  forward"  on  the  envelope;  but 
second-,  third-,  and  fourth-class  matter  will  not 
be  forwarded  unless  stamps  are  sent  by  the 
sender  or  receiver.  This  condition,  however, 
does  not  apply  to  post  offices  within  a  postal 
district,  which  will  forward  any  class  of  mail 
without  extra  charge. 

If  stamps  to  the  amount  of  the  rate  for  one 
ounce  are  affixed  to  first-class  matter  weighing 
more  than  an  ounce,  it  will  be  forwarded,  the 
receiver  to  pay  the  additional  postage,  and  noti- 
fication will  be  sent  by  the  post  master  to  the 
person  addressed  on  second-,  third-,  and  fourth- 
class  matter,  informing  him  that  he  must  send 
additional  postage  for  the  forwarding  of  the 
package  or  article. 

The  Post  Office  Department  does  not  demand 
that  the  name  and  address  of  the  sender,  pre- 
ceded by  the  word  "From,"  appear  on  any 
class  of  mail  matter  except  that  sent  by  Parcel 
Post,  but  all  writers  are  advised  to  place  their 
name  and  address  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner. 


FOEEIGN  MAIL  MATTER 

With  few  exceptions  practically  everything 
can  be  mailed  from  the  United  States  to  any 
foreign  country  at  a  rate  of  postage  somewhat 
higher  than  that  required  for  domestic  mail. 

Books  and  merchandise  mailed  to  foreign 
countries  may  be  subject  to  duty,  the  receiving 
station  collecting  what  is  due.  This  varies  with 
different  countries,  and  many  articles  are  not 
dutiable.  Inquiry  should  be  made  at  the  post 
office  or  custom  house. 

Packages  mailed  to  foreign  countries  should 
be  packed  with  the  greatest  care,  the  address 
very  plainly  written,  and  also  the  name  and  ad- 
dress of  the  sender. 

The  address  may  be  written  in  the  language 
of  the  receiving  country  or  in  English. 

The  rates  of  postage,  and  postal  regulations, 
for  foreign  countries  are  subject  to  occasional 
change.  Before  mailing  letters  or  packages,  the 
United  Etates  Official  Postal  Guide  should  be 
consulted  or  inquiry  made  at  the  local  post 
office. 

Books,  and  practically  every  kind  of  merchan- 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      175 

dise  if  not  perishable  or  dangerous,  may  be 
mailed  to  foreign  countries. 

The  United  States  issues  money-orders  for  a 
moderate  fee,  which  are  payable  in  most  of  the 
foreign  countries.  They  are  absolutely  safe,  and 
a  very  convenient  method  of  exchange. 


PARCEL  POST 

On  January  1,  1913,  there  was  established  in 
the  United  States  what  is  known  as  the  Parcel 
Post,  a  method  of  transportation  for  fourth-class 
matter  mainly,  which  has  made  mailable  many 
articles  that  before  could  not  be  sent  through 
the  mail. 

Formerly  the  rate  of  postage  was  based  upon 
weight,  irrespective  of  the  distance  traveled. 
The  Parcel  Post  rate,  however,  is  calculated  both 
by  weight  and  distance,  and  the  United  States 
is  divided  into  what  are  officially  known  as  zones. 

Parcel  Post  rates  have  been  recently  changed, 
and  it  is  quite  likely  that  other  changes  will  be 
made.  For  this  reason  it  is  inexpedient  to  give 
them  here,  and  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  local 
post  masters  or  to  the  United  States  Official 
Postal  Guide. 

The  Post  Office  Department  requires  that  the 
name  and  address  of  the  sender,  preceded  by  the 
word  "From,"  be  placed  upon  the  wrapper. 

Parcel  Post  packages  cannot  be  registered,  but 
they  may  be  insured  at  a  nominal  rate.  They 
may   be   sent   Special   Delivery  by   affixing   a 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      177 

Special  Delivery  stamp  or  placing  ten  cents  ad- 
ditional postage  upon  the  wrapper  and  writing 
or  printing  ''Special  Delivery"  upon  it.  The 
experience  of  the  writer  appears  to  indicate  that 
Special  Delivery  Parcel  Post  packages  are  usu- 
ally received  earlier  than  those  sent  by  express 
or  by  other  carrier  method. 

Where  there  are  neither  letter  carriers  nor 
rural  delivery,  the  packages  remain  in  the  re- 
ceiving office,  to  be  called  for  by  the  persons  to 
whom  they  are  addressed. 


REGISTERED  LETTERS 

Every  post  master,  no  matter  how  small  or 
insignificant  his  post  office  may  be,  is  obliged  to 
register  first-class  maU,  if  requested  to  do  so 
by  the  sender,  for  which  an  additional  fee  is 
charged. 

Registered  mail  does  not  go  into  the  regular 
mail  bags,  but  is  sent  in  special  mail  pouches. 
Every  person  handling  it  is  obliged  to  give  a 
receipt.  For  example,  the  receiving  post  master 
gives  the  sender  a  receipt,  the  carrier  taking 
the  mail  from  the  post  office  to  the  train  re- 
ceipts for  it,  the  railway  mail  clerk  gives  an- 
other receipt,  and  so  on  until  it  reaches  the  one 
to  whom  it  is  addressed,  who  must,  in  his  turn, 
receipt  for  it.  It  is,  therefore,  by  this  method, 
very  easy  to  trace  a  lost  or  misplaced  package, 
and  thieves  are  not  likely  to  tamper  with  regis- 
tered mail  matter. 

Registered  mail  may  be  considered  as  almost 
absolutely  safe,  and  it  should  be  used  by  senders 
of  important  letters  or  valuable  documents. 


MONEY  ORDERS 

For  very  nominal  fees  the  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment will  issue  money  orders,  payable  at  money 
order  offices  throughout  the  world. 

The  rates  are  based  upon  the  amount  sent. 

This  is  a  very  safe  and  convenient  way  to 
transport  funds  and  it  has  an  advantage  over 
the  bank  check  because  the  National  Government 
guarantees  the  payment. 

The  Post  Office  Department,  however,  limits 
the  amount  of  money  to  be  sent  on  any  single 
order,  but  will  issue  any  number  of  separate 
money  orders,  if  requested  to  do  so. 


180      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

package   against  loss   or   damage  up  to   fifty 
dollars. 

Packages  cannot  be  forwarded  or  remailed 
from  receiving  oflBces  without  repayment  of 
postage. 

When  a  parcel  is  insured,  the  sender  receives 
a  receipt  from  the  postmaster,  who  numbers  the 
parcel,  and  stamps,  "  Insured,"  upon  it,  and  it 
will  not  be  delivered  to  the  one  to  whom  it  is 
addressed  unless  he  signs  a  receipt  for  it,  which 
is  returned  to  the  sender. 

UNMAILABLE  MATTER 

Practically  everything,  which  will  not  injure 
or  endanger  the  mails,  may  be  sent  by  the  Parcel 
Post,  if  it  is  of  the  prescribed  dimensions  and 
weight. 

Infernal  machines,  intoxicating  liquors,  poi- 
sons, poisonous  animals,  live  insects  except  queen 
bees,  reptiles,  inflammable  materials,  explosives, 
mechanical  or  other  compositions  likely  to  ignite 
or  explode,  pistols  and  other  firearms,  cannot  be 
sent  by  mail. 

Dressed  meats,  dressed  poultry,  fish,  eggs, 
vegetables,  and  other  articles  of  food  will  be  re- 
ceived by  Parcel  Post,  for  local  delivery  only, 
provided  they  are  properly  packed. 

If  the  article  is  frail,  ' '  Fragile ' '  must  be  writ- 
ten upon  the  package. 

Perishable  articles  of  food  will  be  accepted 
only  when  it  appears  that  they  will  not  spoil. 


CAEE  IN  MAILING 

Thousands,  yes,  millions,  of  letters  and  pack- 
ages reach  the  Dead  Letter  Office  and  are  there 
opened  and  returned  to  senders,  if  they  can  be 
found,  because  of  the  carelessness  of  those  who 
addressed  them.  Probably  half  a  million  letters 
a  year  are  sent  unsealed  and  at  least  five  per 
cent,  of  the  writers  are  not  careful  to  write  the 
address  correctly  or  legibly. 

Comparatively  few  people  realize  the  neces- 
sity for  proper  wrapping,  and  they  send  out 
bundles  of  every  size  without  sufficient  paper  or 
string. 

Books  should  always  be  packed  in  pasteboard 
or  in  boxes,  and  this  applies  to  everything  else 
which  is  likely  to  be  damaged  by  handling. 

As  a  precaution,  I  suggest  that  the  name  and 
address  be  written  or  printed  twice  on  every 
package,  preceded  by  the  word  "To,"  so  that, 
if  one  of  the  addresses  is  blurred  or  injured,  the 
other  will  suffice. 


SPECIAL   DELIVERY    LETTERS 

Any  letter,  or  article  mailable,  will  be  de- 
livered in  every  part  of  the  country,  if  within 
a  mile  of  the  post  office,  or  on  a  rural  free  de- 
livery route,  if  the  sender  places  upon  the  letter 
or  package,  in  addition  to  the  regular  postage, 
a  special  delivery  stamp,  which  costs  ten  cents. 
If  he  does  not  have  a  special  delivery  stamp,  his 
letter  or  package  will  go  as  special  delivery,  if 
he  adds  ten  cents  additional  postage,  and  writes 
upon  the  envelope  or  wrapper  "  Special  De- 
livery." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  pay  letter  postage  to 
secure  the  delivery  of  printed  matter.  Ten 
cents  additional  in  stamps,  placed  upon  the  letter 
or  package,  will  secure  its  special  delivery. 

Special  delivery  letters  may  be  mailed  in  the 
Special  Delivery  box  at  the  post  offices,  or 
handed  to  the  postmaster  or  clerk,  if  there  is 
no  special  delivery  receptacle,  or  they  may  be 
mailed  in  street  letter-boxes.  If  mailed  at  the 
post  office,  they  will  be  immediately  handled 
and  placed  on  the  first  out-going  mail,  fre- 
quently half  an  hour  or  more  after  the  regular 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      183 

mail  is  closed.  Immediately  on  their  receipt 
at  the  receiving  post  office,  they  are  placed  in 
the  hands  of  deliverers.  Ordinarily  from  one 
hour's  to  six  hours'  time  may  be  saved  by  send- 
ing a  letter  or  package  by  special  delivery,  and  it 
will  be  delivered  up  to  midnight  from  all  post 
offices,  if  the  office  is  open  at  that  late  hour. 

Occasionally  a  special  delivery  letter  does  not 
reach  its  receiver  as  promptly  as  would  an 
ordinary  letter.  The  last  regular  mail  from 
Boston  to  New  York  City,  for  example,  leaves 
from  between  10  and  11  o'clock  p.  m.  All  let- 
ters carried  in  this  mail  will  be  delivered  in 
New  York  early  the  next  morning.  The  special 
delivery  letters,  however,  are  delivered  by  special 
carriers,  and  they  are  not  allowed  to  deposit 
them  in  private  mailing  boxes  or  through  the 
slot  in  an  office  door. 


POSTAL  OR  POST  CARD  WRITING 

The  name  of  the  town  and  date  should  always 
appear,  and  the  street  address  of  the  writer,  if 
it  is  not  known  to  the  receiver. 

Avoid,  as  you  would  the  plague,  writing 
across  writing.  It  is  an  insult  to  the  receiver, 
and  is  in  the  worst  form. 

It  is  not  necessary,  and,  in  fact,  I  think  it  is 
bad  form,  to  say  "  Dear  John,"  or  to  use  any 
endearing  term  on  a  postal  or  post  card,  and  I 
would  apply  the  same  rule  to  the  closing.  Just 
sign  your  name,  and  omit  "  Affectionately 
yours,"  and  avoid  closing  "  With  love." 

It  is  also  unnecessary,  and  is  inadvisable,  to 
use  the  terms  "  Dear  Sir,"  "  Gentlemen," 
"  Yours  truly,"  or  "  Respectfully  yours." 
They  can  be  omitted  with  perfect  taste. 

It  is  obvious  that  no  important  matter,  either 
of  business  or  of  social  purport,  should  be  placed 
upon  a  postal  or  post  card.  Nothing  should  be 
written,  except  in  the  way  of  greetings,  or  of 
information,  or  requests ;  and,  therefore,  all  ex- 
pressions of  affection,  or  what  would  be  eon- 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      185 

sidered  necessary  courtesy  in  a  letter,  should 
be  omitted. 

Do  not  use  more  than  the  space  will  con- 
veniently hold.  A  postal  or  post  card  is  not  in- 
tended to  take  the  place  of  a  letter,  and  any 
attempt  to  write  a  letter  upon  either  of  them  is 
bad  taste  and  shows  lack  of  consideration  for 
the  receiver. 


POST    CAEDS 

A  POST  CAED  should  not  be  confused  with  a 
postal  card.  Postal  cards  are  issued  by  the 
Government,  post  cards  by  private  parties. 

A  post  card  can  be  of  any  size,  but  it  cannot 
be  used  for  correspondence  if  it  measures  more 
than  51/^  inches  from  right  to  left,  or  more  than 
31/2  inches  from  top  to  bottom. 

One  half  of  the  address  side,  and  the  entire 
back  of  the  post  card,  may  be  used  for  corre- 
spondence.. 

The  following  printing  is  permissible  on  a 
post  card : 


Fwiifi©  F®gft  Cmrd 


For  Correspondence 


For  the  Address 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      187 

The  word  "Private"  may  be  omitted,  and 
"Put  stamp  here"  may  be  printed  in  the  upper 
right-hand  corner. 

Post  cards  larger  than  the  size  mentioned  are 
unmailable,  if  anything  is  written  upon  them 
other  than  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  re- 
ceiver and  sender. 

By  a  recent  ruling,  the  words  "Post  Card" 
must  not  be  printed  except  on  cards  of  the  size 
specified. 


BUSINESS    CARDS 

The  ordinary  business  card  may  be  of  any 
size  which  will  fit  an  ordinary  cardcase  or 
pocketbook,  but  it  need  not  contain  more  than 
the  name  and  address  of  the  business  house, 
with  or  without  the  names  of  the  members  of 
the  firm  or  company  officials,  and  the  general 
character  of  the  business. 

Do  not  overcrowd  your  card. 

Do  not  attempt  to  place  all  of  your  specialties 
upon  a  business  card.  If  you  are  a  manufac- 
turer of  stoves,  for  example,  simply  say  "  Man- 
ufacturer of  Stoves." 

If  you  have  a  trade-mark,  it  is  well  to  repro- 
duce it,  preferably  in  color. 

Always  use  the  plainest  type,  because  sim- 
plicity is  artistic  Avoid  fancy  letters,  espe- 
cially if  your  name  and  address  are  not  easily 
read. 

Never  use  other  than  perfectly  plain  and 
clear  figures. 

I  present  a  few  forms  of  business  cards. 

Employees  of  a  business  house  should  use 
one  of  the  following  forms: 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      189 
JOHN  T.  SMITH  &  COMPANY 

WHOLESALE   WOOLENS 

300  Main  Street 

Represented  by  New  York  City 

WILLIAM  H.  BLACK 


"  Represented   by "    may   be   omitted.      An- 
other good  form  is : 


William  R.  Black 


With 
John  T.  Smith  &  Company 

WHOLESALE  WOOLENS 
300  Columbia  Street.  Portland.  Maine 


190      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 


GEORGE  M.  WHITTIKER 


DISTRICT  SALES  AOENT 


RtPResrNTiN«  se  Jackson  boulevard 

JOHN  HENRY  TACK  CO.  Romk.  n.  y. 


Members  or  oflScials  may  use  a  form  like  the 
following : 


Smith  Manufacturing  Co. 

Wholesale   Woolens 
800  Main  St,  Ottawa,  Ont. 


JOHN  T.  SMITH.  Presideat 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      191 

George  S.  Parkman 
Grocer 

400  Dear  Avenue,  Rome,  N.  Y, 


The  Starbright  Company 

PLUMBERS 

1400  North  Whitefield  Street 
Boston,  Mass. 


192      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

Thompson  &  George 
dry  goods 

100  Washington  Steeet 
Rome,  ]sr.  Y. 


OKOROB  I.  HANLKT  WILLIAM  R.  WMITI 


GEORGE  1.  HANLEY  &  CO, 

REAL  ESTATE,  FIRE,  LIFE  AND 
PLATE   GLASS   INSURANCE 


rCLEPHONE 

ere-L  main  NEWBURGH,  N.Y. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing     193 

WAUGHAN  &  WHITE 

Painters 

64   WASHINGTOK    STEEET 
BOSTON,  MASS. 


JOHN  T.  SMITH  &  CO. 

FLORISTS 

FLORAL  EMBLEMS  AND  DECORATIONS  A  SPBOALTY 

CHOICE  CUT  FLOWERS 

GRAND  AND  IVHITNEY  AVENUES 
PROMPT  ATTENTION  DELAWARE,  N.  Y, 


194      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 


Robert  R.  Robertson  &  Co. 

Makers  of 

Fine  Furniture 

60  Main  Street,  Worcester,  Mass. 


Waterson  Coal  Co. 

COAL 

DYARD  TH/W      mi      1 

CUrk  aad  Davis  Strteto  TROY,  N.  i. 


MINERS  OF        I       I     I   A    I  WHOLESALE 

ANTHRACITE      1    ^1    f  hK  |    .  ONLY 


OFHCE  AND  YARD 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      195 


Robert  W.  Buckingham 

FASHIONABLE 

TAILOR    AND   OUTFITTER 

LADIES'  AND  GENTLEMEN'S  APPAREL 
CLAREMONT  AVE.  NEAR  PORTLAND   ST. 

OPEN  EVENINGS  TORONTO,   ONT. 


George  &  Pollers 

Oriental  Carpets 

Carpets  and  Screens 

Market  and  Second  streets,  Boston 


196      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 


WALTER  K.  WHITEHALL 


MINNEAPOLIS 

Wtth 
WHITE  MANUFACTURING  CO.  MINNESOTA 


Roman  type  is  always  in  good  taste,  or  any 
face  similar  to  Roman. 

The  foregoing  specimens  are  set  in  type,  and 
may  be  printed  on  the  ordinary  printing  press. 
Engraving  is  described   in   another  chapter. 

Avoid  fancy  or  script  faces,  as  they  are  dif- 
ficult to  read. 

When  in  doubt  use  Roman  or  some  style 
similar  to  it 


SOCIAL  AND  PEOFESSIONAL  CAKDS 

Social  and  professional  cards  should  be 
either  engraved  on  copper  or  steel,  or  else  plain 
and  readable  type  should  be  used. 

The  use  of  fancy  script  in  both  cases  should 
be  avoided.  Script  type  is  permissible  for  every 
class  of  social  or  professional  card,  but  many 
prefer  a  plainer  letter,  and  I  would  recommend 
the  latter. 

Ordinary  Roman  type,  or  any  modification  of 
Roman  type,  which  is  equally  distinct,  is  in 
good  taste. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  matter  upon  a  card 
should  present  legibly  its  owner's  name  and 
address,  or  his  name  without  his  address. 

Unusual  names  should  never  be  printed  in 
script  or  fancy  type.  Some  names  lend  them- 
selves to  almost  any  style  of  letter.  Most  faces 
of  fancy  type  contain  letters  which  look  very 
much  alike,  and  these  faces  should  not  be  used 
when  there  is  the  slightest  doubt. 

Social  and  professional  cards  should  not  be 
smaller  than  three  by  two  and  five-eighths 
iuf^eS)  nor  more  than  half  an  inch  longer  or 


198      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 

deeper.  The  stock  should  be  thin,  not  as  thin 
as  ordinary  paper,  but  thinner  than  that  used 
for  business  cards.  The  color  of  the  card 
should  be  white,  cream,  or  light  blue.  Other 
colors  are  in  bad  taste. 

Some  salesmen,  and  other  representatives  of 
business  houses,  use  cards  similar  to  social  or 
professional  cards,  and  there  is  no  objection  to 
so  doing. 

The  title  "  Mr."  is  optional  on  a  social  or 
professional  card,  but  I  would  recommend  its 
use  where  the  address  does  not  appear.  It 
should  be  omitted  on  business  cards.  Titles 
like  "  Dr."  or  "  Rev."  may  be  given  on  a  card, 
with  or  without  the  address.  "  M.  D."  should 
be  used  instead  of  "  Dr."  The  title  "  Profes- 
sor "  had  better  be  omitted,  and  it  is  a  question 
whether  or  not  degrees  like  "  Ph.  D.," 
"  LL.  D.,"  etc.,  are  in  good  taste. 

Military  men,  however,  may  print  their 
ranks  or  positions  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner, 
and  so  may  professors  and  others  holding  a 
title  of  rank. 

"  Esq."  should  never  appear  upon  a  card, 
unless  it  represents  some  official  office.  The 
name  and  address  may  be  printed  in  either  the 
left-  or  right-hand  comer,  the  former  being 
preferable. 

Cards  produced  from  steel  or  copper  plates 
have  a  richer  appearance,  and  are  more  artistic. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      199 

Two  styles  of  engraved  plates  are  made :  the 
ordinary  engraved  plate,  where  the  letters  are 
but  slightly  raised;  and  the  embossed  plate, 
where  the  letters  stand  out  in  relief.  Either 
form  is  acceptable.  Embossed  plates,  however, 
cost  more  to  engrave. 

The  copper-plate  should  be  used  where  a 
large  quantity  of  cards  are  printed,  for  although 
it  costs  more  at  the  start,  more  impressions  can 
be  taken  from  it. 

The  copper-plate,  however,  is  sufficient  to 
print  as  many  social  or  professional  cards  as 
the  average  man  or  woman  will  use. 

The  styles  presented  are  from  type,  but  any 
of  the  faces  can  be  reproduced  on  steel  or  copper 
plates. 


James  M.  Konaldson,  M.D. 


618  Heyworth  Building 

Winnipeg,  Manitoba 


200      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 


Mr.  Harry  O.  Whitney 


No.  3S  Mlgklmmd  Av»ma»  PbllMdelpbIa 


97  |hws»N  %»nm»  yiUvft*!^,  ^««». 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing     201 


Rev.  William  T.  Brown 


HS7  Astoria  Avenue 
New  York  City 


MtB.  «?0r9^  S-  -Blliitou 


Mk*  ^litnxmB  'Ucmn  Umaim 


320  JUurllJora  fhrtH 

SJtasars  3fa!da,  ^,  V. 


202      The  Art  of  Letter  Writing 


Reginald  F.  Pierce 

Elocutionist 


Readlngt  Residence 

from  No.  3621  Westmoreland  St. 

Shakespeare  Montreal,  Que. 


Mr.  John  M.  Barker 


Ralph  H.  Strang,  Jr. 


CoDSTdting  OflSce 
No.  315  Randolph  Street 
Engineer  Garden  City,  Minn. 


The  Art  of  Letter  Writing      203 


WIIXIAM  A.  HUNTER 

ATTORNEY- AT-I^AW 


Boom  4oa 

812  COUHT  SQITARS 

BBNTON.  MASS. 


(^U.    <^eM^   Q^.    Q^ua^U 


The  following  style  of  letter  should  be  em- 
bossed if  used  for  a  social  card. 


Mrs.  John  G.  Barker 


26  Qaremont  Ayeime 

North  Riverrade,  Qaaa. 


INDEX 


Abbreviations,  149  _ 
Acknowledging  receipt  of  money, 

98 
Addresses  on  envelopes,  57 
Addressing  an  envelope,    63 
Addressing  an  individual,  20 
Addressing,  care  in,  66 
Applications  for  positions,  103 
Applications  for  a  position,  let- 
ters of,  103 


Business  cards,  188 
Biuiness  letters,  73 
Business  letters,  samples  of,  73 

Capitalisation,  147 

Cards,  business,  188 

Cards,   social  and  professional, 

197 
Care  In  addressing,  66 
Care  In  mailing,  181 
Church  officials,  bow  to  address 

them,  35 
Circular  letters,  75 
Commendation,  letters  of,  138 
Companies,  how  to  address  them, 

14 
Condolence,  letters  of,  140 
Congratulations,  letters  of,   138 
Copper  engraving,  53 
Copying  letters,  101 
Corporations,    how    to    address 

them,  14 
Correctness,   165 


"  Dear  Mr.  Smith,"  etc.,  30 

"  Dear  Sir,"  "Gentlemen,"  etc., 

30 
Degrees  in  common  use,  23 
Duplicate  or  circular  letters,  75 


Enclosing  poetry  in  a  letter,  161 
Enclosing  stamps  for  reply,  70 
Enclosures  with  letters,  92 
Ending  of  a  letter,  25 
Engraving,  copper,  53 
Engraving,  half-tone,  93 
Engraving,    Uthography,  63 
Engraving,   photo,  93 
Engraving,   steel,  53 
Envelope,  addressing  an,  63 
Envelope  headings,  57 
Envelope  material,  38 
Envelopes,  names  and  addresses 

on,  57 
Envelopes,  proper  kind  of,  36 
Envelopes,  return,  57 
Envelopes,    specimens   of   print- 
ing, 57 
Envelopes,  stamping,  68 
Envelopes,  transparent,  43 


Figures,  use  of,  160 
Follow-up  letters,  81 
Foreign  countries,  letters  to,  99 
Foreign  language,  use  of,  165 
Foreign  postage  rates,  174 
Friends,  letters  to,  134 


"  Gentlemen,"  30 

Goods,  ordering,  90 

Governor,  how"ito  address  him,  34 


Handwriting,  169 
How  to  address  a  Mayor,  34 
How  to  r-ddress  an  individual,  20 
How  to  address  church  officials, 

35 
How  to  address  companies  and 

corporations,   14 


206 


Ifidex 


How  to  addreoB  the  Governor,  34 
Sow  to  addreaa  the  President, 

32 
How  to  ugn  letters,  27 
Humorous  letters,  136 


Importance  of  a  letter,  9 
Inoividual,  how  to  address  an,  20 
Interlining,  16i 
Introduction,  letters  of,  131 


Letter-heads,  44 

Letter-heads,  specimens  of,  44 

Letter  paper  and  envelope  ma- 
terial, 40 

Letters,  business,  73 

Letters  containing  poetry,  161 

Letters,  cop>ing  them,  101 

Letters,  duplicate  or  circular,  75 

Leii^rs,  enclosures  with,  92 

Letters,  ending  of,  25 

Letters,  follow-up,  81 

Letters,  how  to  sign,  27 

Letters,  importance  of,  9 

Letters  of  appUcation  for  a  posi- 
tion,   103 

Letters  of  business,  73 

Letters  of  commendation  and 
congratulation,  138 

Letters  of  condolence,  140 

Letters  of  humor,  136 

Letters  of  introduction,  131 

Letters  of  proposal,  142 

Letters  of  solicitation,  83 

Letters,  opening  of,  14 

Letters,  sooial,  74 

Letters,  spacing,  71 

Letters  to  foreign  countries,  99 

Letters  to  friends,  134 

Letters  to  officials,  32 

Lithography  engraving,  53 

Long  words,  use  of,  156 


Mail,  sending  money  by,  97 
Mayor,  how  to  addr«M  him,  34 
Military  titles,  34 
Money,    acknowledging    the    re- 
ceipt of,  98 
Money,  by  mail.  97 
Money  orders,  179 


Names  and  addresses  on  sorst* 
opes,  67 


Obsolete  words,  157 

Officials,   how   to  address  them, 

32 
Officials,  letters  to,  32 
Opening  of  a  letter,  14 
Ordering  goods,  90 


Paragraphing,  146 
Parcel  Post,  176 
Parcel  Post  rates,  178 
Phonetic  spelling,   163 
Photo  engraving,  93 
Plainness  nnd  correctness,  165 
Poetry  enclosed  in  a  letter,  161 
Position  getting,  letters  of,  103 
Postal  card  writing,  184 
Post  cards,  186 
Post  card  writing,  184 
Postage,  foreign,   174 
Postage,  Parcel  Poet,  176 
Postage,  sufficient,  69 
Post  office,  the,  171 
President,  how  to  address  hlm,8t. 
Proper  envelopes,  36 
Proposal,  letters  of,  142 
Punctuation,  151 


Receipt  of  money,  98 
Registered  letters,  178 
Repetition  of  words,  154 
Rules  of  punctuation,  151 


Samples  of  applications,   103 
Samples  of  business  cards,  188 
Samples  of  circular  letters,  75 
Samples  of  duplicate  letters,  75 
Samples  of  envelope  comers,  57 
Samples  of  follow-up  letters,  81 
Samples  of  letter-heads,  44 
Samples  of  letters  of  solicitation, 

131 
Samples    of    social    and    profes- 
sional cards,  197 
Scientific  terms,  16S 


Index 


207 


Sending  money  by  mail,  97 
Signing  letters,  25 
Simplicity,   159         . 
Social    and    professional    cards, 

Social  letters,  74 

Solicitation,  letters  oI.SJ 

Spacing  Ijetween  the  lines  ol  a 
letter,  71 

Special  delivery  letters,  182 

Speoimea  of  envelope  corners, 
57 

Specimens  of  business  cards,  188 

Specimens  of  letter  heads,  44 

Specimens  of  letters  of  applica- 
tion for  a  position,  103 

Specimens  of  letters  of  introduc- 
tion, 131 

Specimens  of  social  and  profes- 
sional cards,   197 

Spalling,  phonetic,  163 

Stamp  for  reply,  70 

Stamping  envelopes,  68 


Steel  engraving,  63 
Sufficient  postage,  69 


Technical  terms,  158 

Titles   and    degrees   in   common 

use,  23 
Titles,  miUtary,  19 
Transparent  envelof>e8,  43 
Typewriter,  use  of,  167 

Unmailable  matter,  180 
Use  of  figures,  150 
Use  of  foreign  language,  155 
Use  of  long  words.  156 
Use  of  the  typewriter,  167 

Words,  obsolete,  157 
Words,  repetition  of,  154 
Writing  by  hand,  169 
Writing  of  technical  and  Muen* 
tihc  terms,  158 


(7) 


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This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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